とても
by mugiwarawarrior
Summary: Hinata is forced to keep an eye on Sasuke who was brought back to Konoha after killing his brother. However Sasuke regrets killing Itachi, and in Hinata's opinion, seems to give up on everything. Will Sasuke be able to open up and find someone precious?
1. Giving up

SasuHina- とても

SasuHina- とても

Chapter 1- Giving Up

"No."

"You must. There is no other solution."

"There must be another person."

"Hiashi, only she can do this. I understand that you were intending to punish her by sending her into exile for handing her title over to her cousin, Neji. Consider this as punishment."

Hiashi's hands curled into fists that rested in his lap. His white glare wanted to bear down on the Hokage, but he was in no position to do such a thing. "I will NOT have an Uchiha in my house, and will not have my daughter baby-sit a traitor."

Tsunade sighed in irritation. There was no way Hiashi could back down especially when the council elders had ordered this. No matter how much he protested it, Hiashi would have to accept it. And he knew this.

Bowing his head in a sign of defeat, he nodded reluctantly. "I will prepare things." He stood and when he slid the door open, Hinata stood there. "Hinata! Have you been listening the entire time?"

A blush of embarrassment crossed her face, and she nodded shyly. But the Hyuuga girl turned to the Godaime and said in a soft polite tone, "Uchiha-san…he is staying at the Hyuuga compound?" Tsunade was silent for a moment, an idea slowly forming. She raised her eyes to meet Hiashi's eyes, and she spoke with firmness.

"I have a compromise that might suit your wants, Hiashi. Uchiha Sasuke will only need to stay at the Hyuuga compound for one mouth, to make sure that he can be trusted. After that one month, if Hinata feels that he can be trusted, he will be allowed to move into the Uchiha Manor."

Hiashi's mind went into contemplation and he considered the options. It would only be for one month, fortunately, since originally it would have been for a long while. And Hinata would be punished for giving up her claims as heir. He had reached his decision.

"Then I accept." He heard Hinata's sigh of disappointment but he didn't care. He knew that she didn't want to watch over a traitor…and he wondered a bit why this traitor decided to come back. The Kyuubi kid brought him back, and claimed that the last Uchiha came willingly.

Tsunade smiled in success. She was glad that Sasuke could be watched over by Konoha's most prestigious clan, the clan with the Byakugan. He would be watched constantly for any suspicious moves by those powerful eyes. Especially the eyes of perhaps their strongest member. She didn't understand why that member gave up her title as heir. Such a waste.

xxOOxx

"Here. Please follow me," Hinata softly spoke to the tall looming figure of the "traitor." His presence made her slightly nervous, and she avoided looking him in the eye. As they walked, many of the girls on the streets had their eyes on Sasuke, and most of those girls giggled. Hinata didn't blame them. Sasuke had grown over the past few years. His dark pure black hair gleamed in the bright sunlight, and his pale white skin contrasted with his dark empty eyes. Tints of red shone in those eyes that, in Hinata's opinion, looked sad and…broken.

Sasuke didn't say anything, making Hinata even more nervous. She still thought this was a bad idea. She reached out for his bag of meager belongings (ninja equipment) to carry when his hand snatched out and roughly grabbed her own hand. His bloody eyes bore down on her, and she pulled her hand back immediately. "G-gomen…" her practically inaudible voice said, and if he heard it, he showed no sign.

As they walked in silence, Hinata forced herself to not think about the pressure emanating from the boy behind her. It felt as if the walk lasted 3 hours even though the compound was only 15 minutes from the Hokage's office.

When they finally reached the main entrance to the compound, Hinata was ready to jump and run in, leaving Sasuke behind. But, fortunately, she was able to compose herself to the point where she didn't have to. Still…she could feel Sasuke's cold stare on the back of her neck.

Leading him inside, they walked past several hallways and were "fortunate" enough to run into Neji and Hanabi. "Hinata-sa-" Neji cried but then stopped when his eyes fell upon the shadowy figure behind her. "Uchiha!" he growled.

"Nee-chan!" Hanabi cried too. And when she saw Sasuke, her eyes narrowed and her voice coldly sounded, "You are taking care of a traitor now? Nee-chan, you didn't have to do this if you just accepted your title!"

Hinata smiled, and said calmly, "Hanabi…I would be a terrible leader, and besides…Neji-nii will be a much better leader. It's about time there is change in this clan's stupid traditions. I wanted a branch member to take matters, one that I trusted."

Neji stared at her blankly unsure of what to say. Hanabi was also dumbfounded.

Although he didn't show it, Sasuke was surprised. Hinata, the girl who was once so weak, had been acknowledged by her father to be heir, but she took that moment to turn that chance down. It was obviously written on the faces of Neji and Hanabi.

"Ano…Uchiha-san?" That quiet voice of hers shook Sasuke awake from his thoughts, and he realized that he was staring at Hinata. A faint blush was spreading over her soft smooth face, and she hurriedly said, "Ano…umm…let me show you to your room."

She turned into a hallway and he followed, leaving Neji and Hanabi behind. They came to a door on the left side and Hinata slid it open to reveal a medium-sized room long with a bed covered with white sheets, and a dresser sat along the wall beside a desk with a chair. Sasuke never thought he'd get a room with more than a bed, and well…the furniture didn't seem cheap either.

"Umm…my room is right next door if you need anything, and the bathroom is right across the hall. Umm…later, I can go buy things you need like extra clothes or…things." She stopped talking hoping to hear a response in so long. But when the avenger said nothing, she sighed quietly, and stepped out of the room.

"Hyuuga."

Hinata was practically caught off guard by the sudden use of her name, and by the surprising sound of his voice. It was a smooth baritone, and different from what she had originally imagined. Besides, it was the first time she ever heard him speak.

"Maybe later. I'm tired right now," Sasuke said. Hinata nodded dumbly, and slid the door to give him his privacy.

Hinata plopped back down on her own bed with a sigh of relief. _Thank Kami that's over!_ Her mind wandered over to Sasuke however. His voice…when she heard it, it echoed sadness and regret. But why? She knew he came back willingly because he had finally killed his brother, the hated Itachi. Did Sasuke learn something about Itachi that made him regret killing him? Hinata had always wondered why Itachi let Sasuke alone live. But she couldn't give it any more thought, and her eyes slowly drooped to sleep.

xxOOxx

The market was busy today, mainly because of the many sales going around. They stopped by a couple of shops and bought shorts and some plain T-shirts for Sasuke. They continued walking, and Hinata felt that she was beginning to get used to his stoic presence. He still didn't talk very much except for a couple words here and there. But now thought about it, in the past, 3 years ago, his presence was more hostile, more intense. Now, 3 years later, his presence was lonely, lost, and broken. It was like he had completely given up.

Suddenly, she felt him yank her to the shadows between 2 tall buildings, and she could only let out a squeak before Sasuke covered her mouth roughly. He hissed into her ear, "Don't move or make a sound. Just wait." Terrified, she felt she had no other choice. Her ear strained to hear, when she finally heard 2 familiar voices.

"Sakura-chan! Why did you have to run so fast?!" It was Naruto.

There was a silence until Sakura answered. "I'm sorry, Naruto. It's just…I thought I saw Sasuke-kun."

Hinata applied her Byakugan to see Naruto place an arm around Sakura's shoulders affectionately. Her heart seemed to tear as Sakura rested her head against his chest. There goes any chance Hinata had with Naruto.

When they had left her field of vision, and when Sasuke felt that it was safe to go, he released his hold on Hinata, and they stepped out of the shadows. He noticed that Hinata seemed sad, and remembered that she once had a crush on Naruto. _Does she still like the dobe?_ But for a moment, that thought faltered when he saw her smile at him. "Ready to go home, Uchiha-san?" He blinked, and then saw that smile was exactly real. But it seemed she was used to smiling like that.

He grunted a single word, "Yes." He was really glad that Naruto and Sakura were gone. He didn't want to deal with them. At least not just yet.

xxOOxx

"Kyaa!" The punching bag was snapped off its chains that held it to the ceiling. Hinata, dripping in sweat, panted and grabbed a towel to wipe off the sweat. She had thought Sasuke would want to train, but surprisingly, he didn't. Hinata felt that she had been right when she thought he had given up. But, she herself needed training, and since she had to keep constant watch on Sasuke, she asked him to accompany her to train. He didn't seem to object very much, and she tried not to think about him watching her right at that moment.

"Ano…Uchiha-san?"

His eyes turned to meet hers for a moment before looking away. She had learned that this was a sign that he was giving her his attention. "I'm sorry for making you come out here. Would you like to go back now? I just finished…" Her voice trailed off when he stood up and walked forward to the punching bag that lied dead on the floor. "Do you still have energy for a spar?" The question surprised her, and she nodded, placing her towel down.

Sasuke stood there, not getting in a fighting stance or anything. Hinata, however stood in the traditional Hyuuga stance, and began calculating. Sasuke was probably stronger than her in jutsu and physical strength. Especially since he had trained with _Orochimaru_. Strategies flew through her mind, and Sasuke noticed the change in her.

She rushed forward at him with alarming speed, her Byakugan however not activated. He jumped back further, but found that she had appeared behind him. Sasuke avoided a powerful palm thrust and sent one of his fists at her face, but she was on the ground beneath him, and attempted to sweep his legs from under him. He jumped back, somersaulted in mid air, and landed with perfect balance.

The Uchiha boy tried not to smirk, and succeeded. Hinata was completely different when she fought, and it seemed that he had underestimated her. Perhaps she was even more of a challenge in comparison with Naruto. He wouldn't hold back on this match.

He smacked the wrist of her incoming palm and slammed his knee into her stomach. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she gritted her teeth tightly together stubbornly and pushed his knee away, and tried to kick at his head. He ducked and was under her the same way she was in before. Instinctively, she jabbed a finger into his shoulder causing him to falter.

After an intense exchange of blows, Sasuke was sweating a bit, and Hinata was heavily panting. Sasuke's body felt slightly numb due to Hinata blocking most of his tenketsu. Hinata felt pretty bruised. In a final move, Sasuke brought Hinata down to the ground, with his arm around her neck. He smiled for the first time she had seen him. "I win."

Hinata smiled, and in a sudden change, she was back to her normal shy self. "Thank you for the spar, Uchiha-san." She felt happy because she felt that she saw his smile. It made her feel as if he was slowly opening up to her.


	2. restless

Part 2- Restless

Part 2- Restless

It had been about one week since Sasuke had moved in. The Hyuuga clan entirely either ignored him or taunted him. Only Hinata was kind to him, and cared for him. However, Sasuke as ignorant of this and remained silent as ever. He didn't do much except for stay in his room, and he hardly ate at all, which worried Hinata a lot.

Sasuke opened his door slightly to Hinata's faint knock. "Etto…Uchiha-san, would you mind if I treat you to lunch?" His eyes narrowed and she suppressed a shudder from his overwhelming irritation with her. "I'm not hungry," he hissed.

gurgle

Hinata blinked and thought for a moment, she saw some emotion over Sasuke's face. Embarrassment? She smiled and said, "Lies. Let's go eat, Uchiha-san." Sasuke sighed and cursed himself for his loud stomach. He was silently grateful that she didn't burst into giggles.

On the way out, one of the members of the head branch stopped them. "Hikaru-san, is there something you need?" Hinata said with soft politeness. Hikaru ignored Hinata and glared at Sasuke with intensity.

"How pathetic for an Uchiha to have to be cared for by its rival clan. It is a great pity that your entire clan was killed. And even more pathetic that it was killed by one person. That brother of yours should have killed you too and let himself get killed on his own-"

And then Hikaru was on the ground. Blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth and both of his cheeks were swelling into a purplish color. Hate flamed in Sasuke's red eyes, and disappointment shone in Hinata's white ones. Both had their hands reached out, after punching Hikaru on each side of the face.

"Hinata! When your father hears of this-" Hikaru began in fury but was cut off by Hinata's dangerously polite tone. "What will my father do, Hikaru-san? It disgusts me that you should insult another's family. And it disgusts me to consider you once family. I can't wait till my father sends me away. Then you won't have to see me anymore, isn't that correct, Hikaru-san?"

Hinata's eyes were now white slits that seemed to match with Sasuke's bloody eyes. Reluctantly, Hikaru turned onto his knees and bowed before Hinata. "Gomenasai. Please forgive me." Hinata turned away and said in a strong clear voice, "You should apologize to Uchiha-san."

Hikaru didn't move for a moment, but then gritted his teeth and did as Hinata ordered. "Gomenasai, Uchiha-sama. Please forgive me." Sasuke gazed at Hikaru for a moment, but then turned away without giving a word. Hinata also turned and followed Sasuke out. Behind them, Hikaru cursed silently and glared at Sasuke and Hinata, desiring vengeance.

xxOOxx

"What would you like to eat, Uchiha-san?" Hinata said with a kind smile. Sasuke was about to shrug his shoulders coldy when he saw the expression on Hinata's face. Grudgingly, he muttered, "Anything but Ichiraku's." A thoughtful look passed over Hinata's face. "Do you like sushi?"

So it ended up that they ate sushi together. Sasuke didn't eat much at first, but when his stomach protested, Hinata made sure that he had plenty. By the time they were done, Sasuke couldn't take any more.

_I guess he didn't want to see Naruto at Ichiraku's,_ Hinata thought silently. Sasuke seemed slightly disturbed, as if his mind was off somewhere else. However, Hinata could tell that he was thinking about someone. "Ano, did something happen, Uchiha-san?" At her words, he shot up, and left the restaurant in a flash.

Quickly paying for the food, Hinata rushed to catch up with Sasuke. But she couldn't find him. Panicking, she used her Byakugan to search every possible corner of the village. Dread began to fill her until she finally found him: beneath a sakura tree in a deserted park. _He's so fast!_

When she reached him, Hinata kneeled beside him, and said, "Gomen, Uchiha-san. I shouldn't have pried. It was my fault." She didn't expect an answer and didn't get one. But there was definitely sadness emanating from the boy beside her. It was like she could reach out and grasp it with ease.

Hinata placed a hand at his shoulder and closed her eyes. He too closed his eyes, but before she could think, he roughly shoved her hand off and walked away.

xxOOxx

_I shouldn't have killed Itachi._

_If I had known._

_If only I had known._

_He did everything to protect me._

_There's no way I can fight now_

_Without being reminded of him._

Sasuke lied on his bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling above his head. Next door, he could hear the even breathing of Hinata who slept peacefully. He didn't want to sleep. Because of those nightmares that made him regret killing Itachi would haunt him too much.

Throwing his blanket off, Sasuke stepped out into the hallway, and decided to take a walk. The cold wind seemed to slap against his pale skin, and once he was gone, Hinata awakened. She snapped forward into an upright position, and instinctively activated her Byakugan. Her eyes traveled over to the room beside her, and her heart almost stopped when she saw it was empty. Jumping out of her bed, she pushed her Byakugan further to see more and farther.

Small traces of his chakra had been left behind in a trail-like pattern. Following this trail, her eyes traveled past several hallways and finally up onto the roof where she saw Sasuke. Hinata relaxed but kept watching Sasuke. She couldn't help but notice the way the pure moonlight seemed to blend with his own white skin, and the way his inky black hair melted into the velvet darkness of the light.

_There are a lot of stars tonight_, Hinata realized. But the last Uchiha wasn't paying attention to them. All he did was stare out into the darkness of the sleeping village, replaying the day his clan was murdered, replaying the words Itachi had said, and thinking of how much of a lie they were.

Hinata grew worried, when she read the look on Sasuke's face. She wanted to go up onto that roof and comfort him, but how? What could she say? She didn't have to get involved in his personal matters, but she really wanted to. But how could she help him?

The rest of that night, Hinata couldn't sleep. She could only think about Sasuke, and when she tried to focus on something else, her thoughts always returned to that dark boy. But she continued to watch him from her room, with the terrible eyes of the Hyuuga clan.

xxOOxx

"Oh! Sakura-san! What are you doing here?" Hinata inquired with surprise after answering the door to find the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura smiled but then blushed when she asked, "Is Sasuke-kun here? Tsunade-sama told me that he was staying with you under orders, and I was hoping I could see him."

Hinata didn't know what to do. She knew Sasuke wouldn't want to see Sakura, but she hated seeing her friend so desperate. But Hinata felt that Sasuke was troubled at the moment, and she didn't want to burden him with the fact that his teammates were extremely worried about him. Not that he would care.

"Gomen, Sakura-san. Sasuke is a bit tired and is resting at the moment," Hinata said, carefully choosing her words. Sakura's face fell in disappointment, but she forced herself to brighten up a bit. "Well…okay! Thanks, Hinata! Just let Sasuke know that I was here, okay? Bye!" Before Hinata could say anything, Sakura was gone.

With a sigh of relief, she turned around but ran into something. Pain shot up her nose causing her to close her eyes, and her hand flew to her face to rub the pain away. It felt oddly out of place and crooked. "Itai!" When she opened her eyes, Sasuke's face was peering at her, and she realized that she had bumped into _Sasuke_. _Why does he have to have such a hard chest?! _"Your nose is broken."

_Yeah…I realized that_, Hinata thought in silence. But she felt his rough but thin fingers push her own fingers away from her nose. They firmly pressed onto both sides of her nose, and there was a sudden _click_. Hinata winced a bit in pain, but blushed a bit. "A-arigatou, Uchiha-san." He had just moved her nose back in place, and everything felt normal again. "Who was at the door?" he asked as if he never heard her.

Hinata blushed even deeper as she answered, "Sakura-san. She wanted to see you." Sasuke was silent for a moment but then he walked past her and stepped outside. _Did he want to see her?_ she thought worriedly. "Ano! Uchiha-san!" Sasuke stopped walking for a moment. "Did you want to see her?"

He turned his head so that his cold eyes met her pale ones. "No. I didn't."

"Then where are you going?"

"For a walk."

Hinata blushed again as she asked, "Do you mind if I accompany you?"

"You're supposed to anyway," he said in an it's-obvious tone, which made her blush more.

They walked around the entire village, and in silence. However, the silence was actually quite comfortable, and Hinata enjoyed it. She was afraid to however ask any questions, so she took the silence as a way for him to think through his thoughts. But she hated the fact that she was there to annoy him.

The cool breeze slipped through her dark locks, and ruffled through Sasuke's spiked hair. Sakura petals floated around and a couple landed in their hair, but Hinata didn't notice. Sasuke, who was walking beside her, brushed them off with a smooth wave of his hand. Hinata was oblivious to the fact that Sasuke was watching her out of the corner of his eye, but she jumped when his fingers ran through her hair.

"Uchiha-san?"

"You have cherry blossoms in your hair," he said with a calmness, and opened his hand to show the petals that he had plucked out of her hair. Her skin darkened a bit when she blushed and she tried to thank him, but he had continued walking.

"Sasuke-teme?" It was Naruto. Sasuke froze and slowly turned to see the blue-eyed blonde who was grinning wildly. "Hey, it is you! Sasuke! It's good to see you again! Oh! Hinata!"

"Ohaya, Naruto-kun," Hinata said without stuttering but with a light color on her cheeks. Naruto turned to Sasuke and said, "Oi! Sasuke! You should really see Sakura. She's really happy that you're back but have you any idea of how hurt she's been since you've left?" The eyes of the Uchiha boy slowly narrowed into dangerous slits. "And why should I care?"

"Teme!" Naruto yelled in rage. The way Sasuke was so uncaring and indifferent made him sick. _Why does Sakura-chan love this cold guy?_ He ran at Sasuke, and pinned him against a nearby tree. Hinata's surprised squeak was unheard between the two boys. "Sakura-chan loves you! Can't you understand that?" Sasuke pushed Naruto away and snapped, "I never asked her to love me."

Naruto threw a kick at Sasuke who dodged it and came around with a roundhouse. It hit Naruto squarely in the chest causing him to fly back a few feet. Suddenly copies of Naruto began to appear, and started attacking Sasuke with serious of lashes. The last Uchiha dodged them all, and sent many of them away with a poof.

"Stop!" Hinata's scream didn't help though. The two boys kept fighting, and Naruto toppled over Sasuke, pinning him to the ground, and was about to deliver a blow to the head when he was yanked off Sasuke. "What the he-" But Naruto crumbled to the ground when something jabbed him in numerous places.

He forced himself to look up to see Hinata standing over him with a pained expression. She closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Hinata!" Naruto choked out as she walked over to Sasuke and held out a hand to help him up. But Sasuke ignored the hand, and stood on his own. "Sasuke! I'll make you pay for hurting Sakura-chan!" Naruto growled with ferocity.

Sasuke scoffed at Naruto and said, "You think I'm the only who hurts people. You _always_ cause pain for Hinata, by chasing that clingy girl!" Abruptly, Sasuke turned and walked away. Hinata was about to follow when Naruto called out for her. "Is that true, Hinata? Do I hurt you?"

Hinata was silent for a moment, but then spoke in a soft quiet voice, "Once upon a time you did. But not anymore." Without looking back at the blonde on the ground, she followed Sasuke.


	3. Song

Part 3- Song

Part 3- Song

2 weeks since Sasuke had moved in. 1 week since that fight with Naruto. Sasuke remained as distant as ever, but Hinata was slowly learning more about him. His likes and dislikes, habits, and well his hobbies (if you consider taking a walk and locking yourself up in your room hobbies). Every night, however, Sasuke would rarely sleep, and would always climb onto the roof. And every night, Hinata would watch him from a distance. She knew that when he went up there, it was the only time he could have alone, and she didn't want to ruin that precious time.

She didn't talk to Naruto much, but Sakura came by quite often. Hinata felt bad when she had to lie about Sasuke's absense. Finally, Sakura's visits came to a stop. Sakura had never really been a close friend of Hinata's but Hinata understood that Sakura truly loved Sasuke. But she also understood that Sasuke was burdened and depressed at the moment.

_Eh…I'm so confused on what to do,_ Hinata thought as she plopped herself onto her bed. Things weren't really turning out the best right now. Her entire clan hated her for giving up her title, and people in Konoha looked down on her except for her friends. But she gave up the title for a reason. She didn't think she had the leadership skills, and she knew Neji would be a much better leader. She hoped that he would abolish the branch-system in hopes of obtaining a peaceful clan. Besides, if she were leader, she wouldn't be strong enough. Hyuuga would be looked down on because of a weak leader.

Hinata went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Glancing at the clock, she decided that it was about noon. _Maybe I should make Uchiha-san some lunch too_. So she immediately got to work.

Half an hour later, Hinata knocked on Sasuke's door. She held a tray out to him when he opened it. "Ano…are you hungry?" she asked timidly. Sasuke stared at her for a while but then took the tray. "You don't have to eat it now if you're not hungry! Um…just eat when you…are?" Hinata said uncertainly. Sasuke only nodded, and shut the door.

Sighing, she walked with her head down, and when lifting it, and came face to face with Neji. "Aahh!" Hinata cried out in surprise. Neji raised an eyebrow, indifferently. "Hinata-sama," he said with a tone of respect.

Hinata blushed and said, "Please don't use that honorific. I'm no longer heir. In fact, I should call you 'Neji-sama'." At this comment, a light shade appeared across Neji's face, but it quickly disappeared. He could see something was one her mind at the moment. "Is there something you need?"

Hinata blushed a bit and said, "Well…I was wondering…if I could go see Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. Could you watch Uchiha-san for me?" She saw an odd expression on Neji's face and finally understood why when he said, "Your teammates are on a mission with Sai, who is replacing you. They'll be back in a couple days or so."

Disappointed, Hinata nodded, and thanked him. Her face was then the color of a cherry when her stomach gave out a strange sound and she immediately dashed to the kitchen to make lunch. But she suddenly stopped at the sound of running water and-

"Uchiha-san!" Hinata cried in surprise. Sasuke looked up with an expressionless face. His hands were wet with water and soap as he held a sponge and bowl in his hand. "W-what are you doing?" Hinata said with alarm. An eyebrow raised as he muttered, "What does it look like I'm doing?" It was obvious, but it was hard to believe.

Yes, _the _stuck-up, proud, and last Uchiha was washing dishes. Hinata couldn't hide her shock, which made it difficult for Sasuke to hold back a smirk. As if to make it worse, Hinata's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly, and Hinata was ready to faint with embarrassment. Quickly, she turned to a cabinet to get a bowl, but felt a hand on her wrist.

"Here," Sasuke said, handing her a bowl with rice and pieces of fish and vegetables. There had been plenty of food left over from when she made him something to eat. Shyly, she thanked him and spooned some into her mouth.

Hinata smiled at the kindness Sasuke had given her, although he might not have realized it. Sasuke was inwardly puzzled at Hinata's small smile. It seemed to radiate in comparison to all her other smiles. As if all those other smiles were forced or fake. To others, it might not be obvious, but now, after seeing a somewhat real smile, he was beginning to see clearly.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san," Hinata said with happiness. Sasuke was a bit confused, because he didn't how to feel. About to walk away, he stopped when he heard her voice again. "Ano…Uchiha-san? I was thinking some time ago…everyone I know has a precious person to them. And…I was wondering if you have one?" she spoke with an uncertain bashful tone.

Sasuke regarded her for a moment, and turned away before answering, "Yes, I did. My brother." He walked away leaving her in the silence of the kitchen.

xxOOxx

Hinata couldn't wait until Kiba and Shino would get back from the mission, since she really missed their company, including Akamaru. It was a pity that they weren't present at the moment, because she had nothing to entertain her at the moment, so she decided to stroll around the compound.

xxOOxx

His eyes were closed, and his mind, in constant thought, embraced the silence of his room. Memories haunted and raked every corner of his mind, and his teeth gritted in tiresome pain. Words and voices swam through his head and ears, making his hands close over his ears. Sasuke was on the brink of insanity when he heard a sweet melodic tune.

It swept the madness from him, and he felt his muscles relax, and his mind calm. He focused only on that song. Mellow, gentle, as if singing peace for him. The Uchiha prodigy found himself walking out of his room, and following that song. It was enchanting and seemed to bring light to his eyes.

Finally, he came to a white room, and in the center of the room was a long grand black piano. Slim fingers slid across the snowy keys gracefully and brushed each note with perfection. Sweet music slipped from the strings in the piano and vibrated against the walls of the room.

Hinata stopped abruptly when she felt a presence behind her. She turned her head and let out a squeak of surprise to see Sasuke staring intently at her. She opened her mouth to ask why he was there, but then he spoke solemnly, "Don't stop playing." Hesitating for a small moment, her hands found the keys and continued their dance, and the entire time, Hinata felt that Sasuke seemed more…relieved.

When the piece ended, Hinata looked up to see Sasuke with his eyes closed. His marble skin seemed to blend with the whiteness of the room, and his black ebony hair completely contrasted with it. "Uchiha-san?" Those red eyes opened at the sound of her quiet voice, and for a moment seemed taken back at the kind perfect smile on her face. "I hope you'll find someone precious to you again." Before he could take in any of what she just said, his mind was lost again in the new piece the piano began to sing.

Hinata hadn't played that piece since…her mother died. Her mother always encouraged her to play and would sing with her. Hinata even remembered the words, but it was like only her hands could bring alive the music. Ever since the death of her mother, Hinata would never even touch the first note of the piece. But this time, she felt different. Sasuke needed to find peace, and a new hope. A new precious person, and she wanted to help him with that. No matter what.

Behind her, without her noticing, Sasuke smiled a soft invisible smile. His eyes were open, staring at the way her slender hands moved across the piano, and his ears embraced the sounds that echoed from the grand instrument. He had never felt so tranquil before, as if he could just collapse and start to cry. The piece was beautiful, and felt as if it could cleanse him of his wrongdoings and sins. He wanted to close the song out and continue with his depressed state, but it was like every note and sound was holding him tightly in a grip that he couldn't free himself from. The thing was, he didn't want to be free from the music. Actually, the music freed him just for that moment.

xxOOxx

Hikaru was behind the door watching intently at the Uchiha boy and ex-heiress. He sneered at the way the boy listened to the music of the girl's, because it looked _weak_. The Uchiha were completely disgraced, now that the only survivor had given into something as stupid as the rival's music. Hikaru remembered that piece very clearly, having heard it several times when the leader's wife was still alive. He was glad that she had died, and in fact, he was responsible for it. She was the leader's weakness, and by eliminating that weakness, Hyuuga would be the greatest clan with the greatest leader.

But the way the girl seemed pleased to play for the boy made him frown in disgust. She was showing the same weakness again, even though it wasn't as obvious. He would not allow such weakness in the Hyuuga clan. It would be his job again to eliminate that weakness.

xxOOxx

Hinata and Sasuke were at a small bar. Why were they there? Well, Sasuke felt a longing for wine, not sake for once. Hinata had agreed, and she decided to drink too. Hinata never really liked sake or beer, but wine was a bit better. She guessed that Sasuke wanted wine in particular for personal reasons. Sasuke looked serious but distant as he sipped his glass here and there. The silence broke when Hinata decided to speak.

"Uchiha-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Ano…do you intend on talking to Naruto-kun?"

His blood colored eyes turned on her. "About what?"

At his gaze, she blushed a bit, but answered, "About the argument."

"Tch. I don't need to." He turned away, and Hinata breathed as if she had been holding her breath for a while. She really hoped that the two boys would be able to get back together. There was always tension in the air, when they would bump into each other in common places, or pass by each other in the park or training area. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Sasuke say something.

"That day, when you were playing the piano. You said something…but I couldn't understand you."

"Oh…that…"

"What did you say?"

The Hyuuga was silent for a moment, and Sasuke thought she was about to refuse to answer when her eyes met his, and she smiled that pure smile again. That rare smile that always took him by surprise, and made him speechless. "I said I hope you will find someone precious to you again." Sasuke was dumbfounded for a moment, and his mind had gone blank. He opened his mouth to say something discouraging when Shikamaru appeared.

"Oh hey guys. Enjoying the wine?"

Hinata gave a polite smile and nodded. Sasuke gave a content "hmph" and continued to sip his wind. Hinata inquired what Shikamaru was doing there. She lifted the glass of wine to her lips.

"Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino are dead. Sai is in the hospital. He was the only one who survived."

The glass shattered and the wine splattered across the floor.


	4. False

Part 4- False

Part 4- False

It was raining heavily. Hard drops of water pounded the top of Hinata's umbrella, but she hardly noticed. The rainwater felt the same as the tears she cried uncontrollably. The funeral had been over half an hour ago, but she wanted to stay behind. To be with her comrades one last time. Sasuke had been escorted home by Neji, and Naruto and Sakura were visiting Sai who was in the hospital, in a coma.

_Flashback_

"_Gomen, Hinata. Sai was found in front of the gates of Konoha carrying your friends dead bodies. Kiba had a hole in his chest over where his heart should have been, Shino had been burned terribly beyond recognition, and Akamaru had been cut to pieces. But after we opened the gates to Sai, he collapsed into a coma. I'm so sorry. ANBU members have captured the group responsible for this and that group will be executed," Tsunade said with regret and sadness. _

_Hinata didn't want to believe what she heard. No…her comrades couldn't be dead…but they were. And it was her fault because…because she wasn't there for them…_

_End Flashback_

The Hyuuga girl stared as the words on the gravestones, unable to interpret it, but she didn't need to. She knew what it said. It hurt so much to have those precious people gone, the people who had encouraged her to be stronger, who were always there. But now that wasn't true. They were gone. Forever.

Her knees gave way, and her head bowed down. Her hand was pressed against her mouth to silence the sobs coming from her throat, but it was pointless. There was nothing she could do to stop those tears. So she kneeled there, before the graves of her best friends, and cried with stopping.

xxOOxx

It had been a couple days since the funeral. 3 weeks since he had to live with the Hyuugas. Sasuke could see that Hinata was pained after the deaths of her comrades, but he had to admit, she was good at hiding that pain. Always that forced perfect smile that made everyone think that everything was okay. He hated that smile so much, but he never said anything about it.

He was looking for her one day to tell her that he wanted to go take a walk around the Uchiha property, but the thing was- he couldn't find her. He checked her room, the kitchen, and every possible place. Finally Sasuke found her. She was in the courtyard, sitting on the ground, hugging her knees with her face buried. He didn't dare say anything or even go close to her. Her frame trembled slightly, and there were damp spots on the ground beside where she sat. Sasuke was silent, not letting her notice his presence, but then decided to cancel is intentions of a stroll, and retired to his room.

Funny, how that night, Hinata smiled at Sasuke with that fake smile again as she gave him his dinner and wished him a good night. When she turned around where he couldn't see her face, she felt that smile melt right off that face of hers.

xxOOxx

A bright white light stunned Sai as he opened his eyes and found his self in the hospital. His forehead and arms were damaged, and for a moment, he couldn't remember how he got there. And in an overwhelming moment, it flooded and hit him painfully. He had let trusted comrades die.

With a sigh of sadness, he saw a vase of flowers out of the corner of his eyes. A simple rose lied in that traditional white vase. He wanted to smile but then Sakura and Naruto burst in. "Sai! You're awake!! Do you like the flower?"

Sai, after much groaning and cursing, sat up in his bed and wore that infamous fake smile of his. "Thank you for the flower. And thank you for visiting me. I'm really grateful." Naruto grinned madly and said, "We're not the only ones visiting you!" Sai raised an eyebrow in confusion when Hinata stepped in. Sakura and Naruto quickly stepped outside knowing that Sasuke was there, making Hinata feel bad for leaving him there. But he didn't want to go in the room anyway, so it wasn't really her fault.

"Hello, Sai-san. Are you feeling any better?" Hinata said with a kind gentle tone. She held out a bouquet of white lilies and placed them on the bedside table. Sai smiled at her but that smile disappeared when he turned his head to the window. "I'm sorry about your friends-" But then Hinata cut him off, "No, it's alright. That's the past now, and I believe they are in a better place now." She gave him a smile that shadowed her sadness.

It was convincing, but Sai recognized it after a moment. "That's a nice smile, but it's really not alright, isn't it? I'm sorry. Because of me, the people who were closest to you are lost. It's my fault that you are sad and pained. Proof is right there on your face. I can see it, because…well, I give those same smiles."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but then softened and gave a small but gentle smile. "Arigatou, Sai-san."

xxOOxx

Meanwhile (between Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke)

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried with happiness at the sight of the jet-haired boy. But Sasuke ignored her and didn't even look at her, which angered Naruto greatly. "Oi! Sasuke-teme! She's talking to you!" Finally, Sasuke lazily looked at Naruto but remained silent. In blind fury, the blond raised a fist to attack Sasuke but was stopped by an even stronger hand.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled in surprise. _Why would she stand up for a jerk like Sasuke?_ The pink-haired girl watched Naruto with saddened eyes and pleaded, "Please don't hurt Sasuke-kun. I'm sure he has his reasons for being the way he is." Naruto calmed down, and heard a familiar, "hmph". Sasuke had turned and strolled calmly away. Sakura looked as if she was on the verge of tears. Sympathetically, Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and felt a small tremble in them.

_I'll make Sasuke pay._

xxOOxx

After that day, Hinata visited Sai more often, and almost daily. Many people wondered why she did this, and some suggested that it was because Hinata felt a certain bond to the boy who had been with her best friends when they were dying. Well…this was partially true. She did feel a bond, but not that kind of bond. They understood each other's pain and dealt with it the same way: hiding it away and covering it with false expressions or smiles. That way, nobody would suspect any hurt from a face that always seemed happy.

Sasuke didn't get along very well with Sai, but then again, Sai had been Sasuke's "replacement". Luckily, Sasuke didn't have to see Sai that often, since Hinata always got someone to watch over Sasuke while she was on her visits. For a while, it was Neji, who didn't get along really well with Sasuke. However, when Hinata got home, the place was somewhat trashed and Neji would be cursing aloud: so Sasuke and Neji got into frequent fights. So, she finally got Hanabi to look after the Uchiha survivor, but Neji and Sasuke would give each other the silent treatment.

After about 4 days, Sai was released from the hospital, and was free to do as he pleased. On that day, Naruto decided to throw a party to congratulate Sai on getting out of the hospital. So the rookie 9 were there along with Neji, Tenten, and Lee. There were loud conversations, and the sounds of food taken from the dishes on the table and cups being filled. Loud music radiated from the speakers and some people danced excitedly.

Sasuke had placed himself in a quiet corner away from the party and its loud commotions. Hinata was the only one to notice his anti-socialism and attempted to join him but she couldn't when Ino and Sakura pulled her away for some "girl talk".

"So, isn't Sasuke-kun hot?" Ino said with a high-pitched whisper. Hinata blinked, not understanding what the girl meant. With a roll of her eyes, Sakura said, "Do you like Sasuke-kun after living with him for 3 weeks?" The midnight-haired girl blushed lightly but shook her head, however Sakura pressed, "But you seem to be really close to him." The blush was lost and Hinata looked straight into Sakura's eyes. "Really? He seems to be really distant." She gave a small smile and walked away.

As she was walking away, she thought, _Yes…he seems so very distant. But maybe I pity him and his pain. Maybe I want to help him open up and find peace. _

Sakura stared hesitantly at Hinata's back, but then shook her head to rid the thoughts that floated through her mind. Hinata wouldn't take Sasuke away from her. Hinata wouldn't do that.

Hinata felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Sai who held a smile for her. She replied with a smile of her own and said, "Are you feeling better, Sai-kun?" The pale boy nodded and eyed the party going on. "Naruto went all out on this party, didn't he? What with the sake and music." Suddenly the once loud music softened and slowed into a more peaceful song. It was a couple's song.

_I didn't know that everything was hidden._

_So I hoped to walk that road again._

Sakura immediately was at Sasuke's side asking for a dance, but he coldly rejected her. Feeling that this was a chance, Naruto asked Sakura to a dance, and with no other choice, she accepted. Tenten danced with Lee, who proved to be quite graceful. Sai turned to Hinata and offered her his hand.

_I didn't know that day_

_That I longed for an easier life._

"May I have this dance?" Sai's silky voice echoed in her ears. Hinata's white cheeks colored a bit, but she placed her hand in Sai's hand and nodded. Holding her hand, Sai walked her toward the dance floor.

_Your love is more dazzling than anyone's_

_I care only for you_

_As you know, sometimes I will stagger._

The dance was slow and yet smooth. Hinata's hand was soft in Sai's hand, and they moved with even grace. Sai's hand was at her back, the other one held her hand and Hinata had her other hand on Sai's shoulder. Their feet seemed to be carried by the wind for the way the danced was so light and easy.

_I'm waiting for you_

_When I forget the love I know_

_Will you come to me?_

Sai, without realizing it, smiled. It wasn't the same fake smile he always wore. It was, for once, happy and glad. But Hinata couldn't see the smile through the darkness of the room, since someone had dimmed the lights. Hinata enjoyed the dance though, for it seemed to wash her worries away, and the song was sad but beautiful. She closed her eyes to think only of the dance and music, and when she did, it felt like she was walking through an unknown place.

_If I could see all my life one more time_

_I believed that it would all be okay._

_I'm waiting just for you._

_When I forget the love I know_

_Will you come to me?_

But then everything felt different when Sai kissed her gently on the forehead.


	5. Remembrance

Part 5- Remembrance

Part 5- Remembrance

In the distance, in the shadows, Sasuke had been watching everything. But strangely his vision focused mainly on Hinata. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Her lovely grace and soft features intrigued him. The cold Uchiha didn't understand why he was so interested in this girl. He wanted to be far away from her, forget her, maybe even hate her. But somehow, something wouldn't let him.

Itachi. His older brother told him to hate and detest him. He did, until the end. Until he learned the truth. When he did, he ran, away from his new team, away from Madara. He wanted to just get away, and be alone. He wanted to suffer alone.

When he had seen Sai take her hand and danced with her, he felt a part of him darken. Sasuke didn't understand the feeling but he kept it to himself and to the shadows. And then Sai kissed her. On the forehead that is. Sasuke had that feeling again, but immediately pushed it away and remained emotionless.

Those thoughts floated to Itachi again. Itachi never acted as the man that Sasuke should have hated. In fact, it was difficult to hate the man who brought Sasuke up, who rose him above all others, who freed him from that disgusting Orochimaru. The entire time, Itachi didn't show emotion. He let things happen. For Sasuke.

Shocked and blushing, Hinata put a palm to her forehead where Sai had kissed her. Sai smiled at the bashful girl standing before him and noticed how cute she looked. He leaned down to eye level (he was a couple inches taller) and spoke in a low cool voice, "Thank you, Hinata-chan." At his words, Hinata was the color of flames.

The dance was over, and Naruto had pulled Sai away for a drinking contest. Hinata stood like a statue for a moment, and then remembered Sasuke. She should probably take him home before he got involved in the drinking competition. If that happened, her father would have her head.

She turned to the shadows where she expected Sasuke to be, but he wasn't there. At that exact moment, she heard Lee yell, "Go, Sasuke! Chug! Chug!" The white-eyed girl watched in horror as Sasuke was already in the competition against…Naruto. Several empty bottles lied scattered on the counter, and Sakura was trying to get them to stop. "This isn't good for your health! Stop!" But the two boys ignored her and kept competing.

Sakura put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and tried to pull the bottle away, but was roughly shoved away. This angered a drunk Naruto, and throwing his own bottle down, which shattered once touching the ground, he charged at Sasuke but collapsed onto the ground. Sakura shrieked, and Hinata saw that Sasuke was a bit wobbly too. She appeared at his side when the Uchiha collapsed too. He tried to get up on his feet, but slipped on pieces of glass, that cut through his skin. Finally, he passed out.

Hinata pulled Sasuke over her back, and stood shakily at his weight. "Neji-sama, I'm going to take Uchiha-san home first." Neji nodded, glaring at the unconscious boy on his cousin's back.

As they walked the long way back to the compound, Hinata felt Sasuke stir. "Uchiha-san, we're going home." A groan echoed in her ear, and she stopped walking to feel Sasuke roll of her. However, he hit the ground unable to stand right. She knelt beside him and noticed that his face was burning up and sweaty. "Uchiha-san, why did you have to drink so much?" She put his arm around her neck, and helped him up and continued to walk with him.

After what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at the compound, and Hinata laid Sasuke on his bed. She came out of the bathroom with a cool wet towel, and dabbed at his sweat. His panting ceased, and once she thought he said, "Itachi." But it was so soft, she thought she was imagining it. She cleaned and bandaged his glass wounds, which weren't that severe, luckily.

Suddenly, his bloody eyes snapped open, and his cold white hand snatched her wrist in deadly speed. "What are you doing?" he hissed with venom. He then noticed his surroundings and changed his question, "How did end up here?" Hinata blinked for a moment, realizing that he didn't remember. "Well, you got drunk, and I carried you home. Then, you started looking sick, so…" Her voice stopped as she saw his tired eyes droop to a close. For a moment, she stared at his perfectly carved face, and then smiled. She brushed his bangs away with a finger, and left him to his sleep.

xxOOxx

Sasuke awoke to the sunlight that danced though the glass of his window. He felt tired and exhausted despite the long sleep he had. It had been a strange night, and after seeing Hinata with Sai, strangely, all he could think about was Itachi. Guilt had plagued him so much, he couldn't take it, and before he knew it, he was drinking.

Slowly, memories of last night returned to him, and throwing off the covers, he stumbled out of bed. He felt sick as he slid the door open, and made his way to the kitchen.

There, Hinata was preparing something that gave a smell that seemed to make him feel a bit better. She then noticed him and said, "Oh! Uchiha-san! Umm…I made something for you that might help your stomach. Please eat it. It'll make you feel better." She handed him a bowl with a warm colored soup.

Hesitantly, he spooned some into his mouth. He was surprised when warmth flooded him and replaced the sickness in his stomach. His strength returned, but he was really surprised at the taste. It was delicious and yet familiar. Then he remembered.

_Flashback_

"_Sasuke, are you not feeling well?" Itachi said worriedly. The 6 year old boy was doubled over and felt as if he was going to throw up. Their parents were on a mission, and Itachi was left in charge of Sasuke. But he could see that his little brother was awfully sick today. _

"_Hang on, Sasuke, let me make you something real quick to make you feel better," and after saying that, Itachi disappeared into the kitchen. Waiting for about 10 minutes, Sasuke was queasy when Itachi appeared with a bowl of warm-colored soup._

"_Here, drink it. It'll make you feel better," Itachi demanded. Sasuke obeyed and felt immediately better when the honey-like soup slid through his throat. Seeing the effects of the soup, Itachi asked, "How do you feel?" Sasuke smiled at Itachi and said happily, "Much better! Thanks, Itachi-niisan! But…I didn't know you could cook…" Itachi smirked and said, "Well, a ninja must be able to handle every kind of situation." With a small laugh, he ruffled a hand through Sasuke's hair._

_Flashback Over_

He remembered. Itachi made the same thing for him before. When Hinata walked away, he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table making the bowl almost turn over. _Why does this girl make me remember everything painful? WHY?!_ Sighing with anger, he disappeared from the kitchen and to the quietness of his room.

xxOOxx

"Hiashi, I demand that you remove that…that filthy Uchiha boy from our compound and see fit that Hinata will no longer be recognized as part of the Hyuuga clan!" Hikaru cried with outrage. He would definitely get rid of that pathetic girl along with the boy. The two of them disgraced the name of the Hyuuga clan. He would take it out on Tsunade too, if she were not the Hokage. Besides…he had some experience with her power.

The leader of the clan sighed and thought over what Hikaru had told him. According to Hikaru, Sasuke and Hinata were growing closer, and Hinata had even humiliated Hikaru for Sasuke. Hikaru was of high rank in the lines of the Hyuuga, and humiliation was not to be tolerated. This boy was proving a threat to the ways and traditions of the Hyuuga clan, and even if it meant ridding his own daughter, Hiashi would have to do something.

"I'll see what I can do."

xxOOxx

Sai felt someone slap him on the back. "Oi, oi, oi, Sai!" Naruto yelled. The pale boy from ANBU root choked with surprise, and Naruto laughed aloud. "Ne, Naruto, are you sure you should be up and moving about like this? Sakura will be really angry when she sees you." That morning, Naruto woke up with a hang over, and after barfing across the village, Sakura threw a fit and dragged him to a hospital.

"Eh…oh well. What Sakura-chan doesn't know, won't hurt her, right?" Naruto laughed, but Sai could sense some sadness behind Naruto. Nudging Naruto in the shoulder with his fist, he demanded, "Ne, what's wrong?"

Naruto sighed, and after a moment's hesitation, he said solemnly, "Sakura-chan still really likes Sasuke, but Sasuke doesn't even look at her. He always ignores her, like…like she's nothing, and I hate it. Sakura-can is too good for that guy…too good." His face fell, and he looked away with sadness.

Sai noticed the sadness and patted Naruto on the back. He recalled reading a book on how comforting others would strengthen relationships. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure you and Sakura will be together." Naruto smiled brightly, but then somewhat changed the topic.

"Sai, you like Hinata, don't you?" Naruto said with a crooked grin.

Caught off guard, Sai was silent for a moment, but then immediately said, "No! Why would you say that?" Naruto smiled cruelly, and said, "Because you danced with her and kissed her last night." Feeling warmth on his face, he said, "You saw that?" Naruto laughed aloud and said, "Everyone did, Sai. Your first love is Hinata, eh?"

With the same false smile, Sai shook his head, and said, "I don't know. Maybe she is." Seeing his blonde friend raise a brow, he continued, "Well, Hinata's a kind girl. What makes you think I am attracted to her?" With a snicker, Naruto said, "Cause you always have your eyes on her. And you seem happy when she smiles."

That hit the mark. Sai sighed in defeat and said with a bit more upbeat tone, "Fine. You've got me. I guess I've fallen in love after all."


	6. Hurt

Part 6- Hurt

Part 6- Hurt

The storm mingled over the village, and cried its light soft rain. The grey sad clouds shielded the night of its moonlight. The shadowy figure of Sasuke sat on the rooftop of one of the Hyuuga's buildings, and he peered at the dark sky, raindrops gently kissing his face, and blurring his vision. But he didn't care. In the distance, the small face of a girl watched him with pity, and sighed with decision.

Sasuke, lost in his thoughts, jumped when he heard a soft quiet voice, "Uchiha-san." Hinata was standing on the rooftop behind him, the rain pouring down on her. Her long slick hair draped over her shoulders and her white bangs covered almost her moonlit eyes. His dark red eyes narrowed at her presence. He didn't want her to interrupt his thoughts now. "Go back to sleep." But she stubbornly stayed there, with her sympathetic sad eyes.

Annoyed, Sasuke got to his feet and faced her with menacing eyes. "Leave me alone. Go away." Instead she took a step toward him and spoke with a pained voice, "Uchiha-san…please tell me what bothers you so much. Please tell me so I can at least understand-" Sasuke turned his back on her and barked, "Shut up! It's not your business, so don't pry!" Determined, Hinata surprised Sasuke by placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "How do you expect me to feel if I can't understand my charge? Is it wrong to be worried for a friend? Is it so wrong?!"

Biting his lip, Sasuke shoved her hand off violently but with more power than necessary. Unbalanced, Hinata stumbled backwards and slipped on the slick wetness of the roof. There was no way to save her from the fall, and with a feeling of anticipation, she closed her eyes. But instead of hitting hard concrete, she felt herself became wrapped in steady arms.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the red pools of Sasuke's eyes. The rain slid off the tips of Sasuke's hair and dropped onto her face. And yet could they be tears?

"You don't need to be involved with such things like my past. You should keep your pureness while you can, and not waste it on something as pitiful as me. In a couple of days, you'll be able to forget me, as if I'm a bad dream. If you don't, I'll hate you like I hated Itachi. Because you bring me such terrible memories. Memories that I want to forget." His voice wasn't threatening. It was more sad and melancholy.

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, but Sasuke had gently set her on the ground that was splattered with raindrops. When she stood up, he was gone, but not on the roof either. She sighed in defeat, and returned to her room quickly before anyone could catch her outside. She needed dry clothes too.

In his own room, Sasuke stared at the wall where on the other side, was Hinata's room. He wanted to hate her so much, to scorn her kindness. But all he could do was push her away, since he knew that she wanted to save him from that pit of guilt. But he wouldn't let her, because he wanted to stay in that pit.

xxOOxx

Two more days. Two more days till Hinata won't be needed to watch over Sasuke's every move. Then she could have Sasuke to herself, so of course Sakura would be excited. At long last, after several long years, Sasuke might be able to love her.

Naruto stood behind her and watched as she was deep in thought. He could tell she was thinking about Sasuke, which made him sick. Couldn't she see that he didn't love her? Couldn't she see that he, Naruto, loved her more than that jerk would ever? He disappeared in time before Sakura could turn around and see that single tear slide down his face.

"Naruto? Where are you Naruto? Come on, stop playing games," Sakura said with confusion. He had been with her for a while, and now he just disappeared? "Is something wrong, Sakura?" Sai said, stopping before her. "Eh? Oh, no. It's just…Naruto was here a moment ago." Sai smiled sadly for Naruto and said, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"So, Sai, are you going to ask Hinata out?" The question was so sudden and random. "No," he said simply. "Eh? Why not? You really like her don't you?" Sakura cried. With a sigh, he replied, "I do…but she might not feel the same about me. I hate to waste effort."

"You never know until you try!"

"Hmm…maybe some time after Sasuke is released from her care then," he said with a slight tone of apprehension. He really thought he gave in too easily to things.

xxOOxx

"So you think Sasuke can be trusted?" Tsunade inquired with a questioning look. Hinata nodded and continued hesitantly, "Definitely. Will he be sent to live in the Uchiha Manor then?" Tsunade nodded, paying more attention to the paper work instead. "Ano…Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Can I request one thing?"

xxOOxx

Sasuke was furious at Hinata leaving him in the care of Shikamaru and Chouji, and the first thing they did was go to a buffet. He listened to the sound of food being swallowed by Chouji, and Shikamaru's lazy complaining. For once, he missed Hinata's company, not that he really cared. It's just…it was more comfortable with her. He cursed Tsunade for making him go with this fat dirty boy and annoying whiny guy.

As if to make things worse, Naruto walked in, depressed and sad. Immediately, Chouji persuaded Naruto to join them with lunch, and when the blond sat down, he shot Sasuke a terrible glare. But Sasuke didn't even waver, and didn't pay much attention to it.

Naruto didn't eat as much as he usually did, which worried Shikamaru. The Kyuubi boy spent most of his time gazing at the raven-haired ninja with intensity. The tension in the atmosphere was uncomfortable, and Chouji and Shikamaru shifted in their seats. Finally, Sasuke put down his chopsticks and demanded, "What's the problem?"

Naruto stood up abruptly and snarled, "You're the problem, Sasuke! You think the world turns around you or something! Well, it doesn't! It's not just all about you! Yet you keep hurting so many people! People like Sakura!" Sasuke calmly looked Naruto in the eye and hissed, "If you love her so much, take her but make sure she lets go of me completely."

With deadly fury, Naruto pulled Sasuke to his feet by grabbing him forcefully by the front of his shirt. He raised a fist, and a red mark appeared on Sasuke's face. "Naruto! Stop!" Shikamaru said, but it was useless, for Naruto was consumed with his rage. A flury of attacks landed on Sasuke, but he didn't try to block or dodge, and accepted every blow.

Blood coursed down Sasuke's chin, and finally Naruto stopped his mad rampage, and crumbled to his knees, exhausted. Tears fell from his face and he didn't try to stop them. He felt confused and hurt, because Sasuke had taken every hit, and hurt because of Sakura. He felt terrible. It really wasn't Sasuke's fault that Sakura had fallen in love with him. However, he had always blamed Sasuke for hurting Sakura, for hurting him. Because he was tired of waiting for Sakura, and while waiting, he had hurt Hinata, a good friend. Naruto buried his face in his hands, and cried. _What a terrible person I am_.

Hinata wasn't here to step in again, and he was glad. He didn't fight back because he knew he deserved every punch that was delivered, for hurting everyone around him, even his best friend who had believed in him. He truly deserved it for what was to come, for his upcoming plans on Konoha.

xxOOxx

The pale shadow of a familiar girl lingered above the gravestones marked "Inuzuka Kiba", "Aburame Shino", and "Akamaru." Hinata stared sadly and longingly at the gravestones, but fought back the tears that were rising.

"Kiba-kun. Shino-kun. Akamaru. How are you? I'm sorry I wasn't there, and I feel responsible. If I had been there, I might have been able to make a difference, wouldn't I? But even though I have moved past my sadness, I can never forget how you were there for me. Helping me get stronger, being my friends. My precious friends.

"It's strange though. At the beginning, I felt uncomfortable with having Uchiha-san around me at all times. But now, everything is different. Never before had I wanted to help someone so much. But maybe because he is different. I think he has suffered enough, since I can tell that he regrets something. I want to see him happy for once. I can hear Kiba-kun saying that it's impossible to put feeling into a cold being like Uchiha-san. But I really wish he would have someone that he could come to love. That would make him happy, at peace. I hope that will happen."

With finality, she rose and pulled her cloak closer to her to shield her from the cold wind. With one last look at the gravestones of her beloved friends, she disappeared.

xxOOxx (The next day)

"Uchiha-san! Come on, let's go!" Hinata cried in a rush. With a grumble, Sasuke was beside her. He didn't understand why she was in such a hurry. Taking his hand, she pulled him out of the house. They dashed past several streets and buildings and finally came to the large square of Konoha. Sasuke was surprised because there was an informal banquet, and the villagers of Konoha and Suna were joined together for this banquet.

Children ran along the square with lighted sticks laughing and giggling, and the aroma of fresh food occupied the air. Lanterns of various colors glowed against the night sky, and numerous games were being held.

Sasuke didn't understand why Hinata had brought him here, but before he could ask, she pulled him over to a small food stand. "One takoyaki, please." After paying, she handed the takoyaki to Sasuke and said, "Here you go." He opened his mouth to demand what was going on, but she had popped a piece into his mouth. "Uchiha-san, I'll tell you why I brought you here later." Sasuke decided to give up on trying to question her then.

Hinata persuaded Sasuke to participate in the games held, and in one, he had won a prize. He looked through the rewards, thinking that he didn't need any of these things when he saw something that caught his eye.

While he had been forced to choose his prize, Hinata had been watching the people in the square. They seemed to be having a great time, laughing merrily. Couples held each other and kissed beneath the colorful lights, and children squealed and giggled with delight. She remembered coming to a festival like this a long time ago with her mother.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned and found herself staring at a large stuffed panda. Sasuke held it out for her and grumbled, "Here." Hinata blinked confused, but then realized that he was giving it to her. With a blush she said, "Eh, but-" "Just take it." She submitted and gave her his thanks. She could tell he was embarrassed from having to participate in that silly game, but it really amused her. The panda was soft and squishy, and for a moment, she felt like a kid again as she hugged it to her chest.

"Sasuke-kun? Hinata?"

The Uchiha boy cursed and Hinata froze and didn't move. They felt footsteps walk around them, and then saw Sakura's face. "It really is you guys!" But the emotions on her face were mixed: false happiness and surprise. "Are…are you guys here on a date?" Suddenly Hinata's face was flushed with embarrassment, and Sasuke was rolling his eyes in annoyance. "A-ah, no, of course not, Sakura-san!" The kunoichi seemed to relax at the answer and smiled.

"Then, do you mind if I steal Sasuke-kun for a date?" Sakura asked hopefully. Inwardly, Sasuke groaned, and was about to say a sharp answer when Hinata answered instead. "Gomen, Sakura-san. Since

this is my last day with Uchiha-san, I wanted to treat him. Gomen."

Both Sasuke and Sakura were surprised at the answer, but then Sasuke dismissed the answer as a way of helping him get Sakura off his back. Sakura, however, was disappointed and saddened and apologized before walking away.

It was about 10pm, and the fireworks show was beginning. Sasuke and Hinata sat on the grass, and Sasuke lied on his back, staring at the stars and fireworks. Shades of colors exploded in the velvet sky and became like colored stars. Flowers seemed to bloom in the empty blackness above them, and again, memories returned to Sasuke.

He remembered Itachi taking him to the festival pointing to the sky and other things. He remembered that rich baritone laughter. Then his thoughts broke loose when Hinata spoke.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Uchiha-san? It brings so many memories, doesn't it? I remember watching the fireworks with my mother." She laughed with happiness at the thought, and smiled a radiant smile as she gazed at the sky. "Uchiha-san, what I said earlier to Sakura was true. That's why I brought you here. I wanted to make good last memories with Uchiha-san, because you'll be leaving tomorrow. I might not be able to see Uchiha-san again, and so I want to remember Uchiha-san for what he truly is, instead of the traitor people see him as." She said it with such a glad smile, and for a moment, she looked beautiful as the fireworks' colors reflected off her pale face.

Without her looking, Sasuke felt himself relax to such an extent, he was almost happy.

xxOOxx

Sasuke was packed his meager belongings, for he was leaving that day to the Uchiha Manor. He thought of what Madara had told him, and now that he was supposedly trusted, he remained indecisive about something. He slung his pack over his shoulder, and took one last look at the room he had stayed in. He was glad to go, but he felt something was holding him back.

Suddenly there was the sound of a crash outside, and something told Sasuke that something was very wrong.

Xxxxxx

"You disgraceful girl!" Hiashi screeched with terrible anger. Glass stabbed Hinata's arm for Hiashi had thrown a vase at her. "First you decline your heritance, and now you have this….this affair with the Uchiha boy? Are you truly my daughter?!" Hinata was so confused, she didn't understand. _Affair with Uchiha-san? _"W-what do you mean, Father?"

Behind Hiashi, she saw Hikaru smirk and she finally understood. A set up. But she also saw something else within that man's eyes. Her eyes focused on his lips as he soundlessly mouthed, "I killed your mother, little girl." She could read his lips so clearly, and then suddenly everything made sense. Her mother never would've gotten ill so quickly. It was Hikaru's fault, and it was no lie.

"Don't play dumb with me! You and that…disgusting excuse for a prodigy together! Don't think that I don't know anything! You disgrace this clan by declining the heir title and humiliating Hikaru, one of this clan's oldest influences! You should die for this!"

Pain ached in her chest when Hiashi slammed his gentle fist against her heart. She fell against the wall, and coughed up mounds of blood. Her vision blurred as she saw Hiashi raise his hand, ready to give the death blow. But it never came. Hinata barely made out the figure of Sasuke, holding tightly onto the wrist of Hiashi.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't kill my charge," Sasuke said smoothly.

Hiashi snarled, "She is not your charge as of today."

"If you want to kill her so much, I take it that you are disowning her?"

"You are correct. I have no need for such a disgraceful weakling in this family. She will only dirty this clan's name."

Sasuke was silent for a while, as if he was making last-minute decisions. "Then let me take her off your hands. You won't have to worry about her anymore."

The entire room was silent. Uchiha wanted this Hyuuga girl? Hiashi was speechless for what seemed a long moment, and he turned to Hikaru and discussed in hushed tones. Hikaru seemed against such an action, but then Neji stepped into the debate, wanting safety for his cousin, and finally it was decided.

"Very well, Uchiha Sasuke. Hinata will be put into your care. We will have nothing to do with her anymore, is that understood? She is now your responsibility. However you can not speak of this to the Hokage."

Sasuke nodded. For a moment, he felt terribly confused. Why did he care so much about this girl to save her from the punishment of her clan? Why did he do this for her? His eyes fell upon the now unconscious body. Blood seeped from the corners of her mouth, and it hurt his heart to see her in so much pain. Gently he picked her up, and her limp arms fell loose to the side of her body. "U-uchiha…san…" he thought he heard her say.

"I'll come for her things later," Sasuke spoke curtly. He made his way through the door, not daring to look at the sad faces of her sister and cousin.

When they came to the Uchiha Manor, Sasuke cleaned the blood, and put her in his old bed. He wet a towel, and folded it to place it on her forehead. All the while, she would unconsciously wince, and murmur someone's name. Well, it was his name.

With alarming sudden, Hinata shot up from the bed into an upright position. Sweat poured from her brow, and she turned her face on Sasuke. Then tears slid down her face, and she cried. "Uchiha-san….Uchiha-san…he killed her….Hikaru killed Kaa-san…" With pity, Sasuke convinced her to lie down and sleep again.

He stood at the side of the bed and looked at her tortured face as she slept. He felt terrible anger for the clan that hurt such a creature of pureness and innocence. Unable to stop himself, his hand brushed across the smooth side of her pale flawless face. It was like he had a perfect angel in his room right there. But this perfect angel was hurt.

Sasuke made his decision. He would crush Konoha with the help of Hebi…no…Eagle, and Madara. He would crush the people who hurt his brother, and the people who hurt this angle right here.


	7. Relief

Part 7- Relief

Part 7- Relief

Opening her eyes, she observed her surroundings. Everything that happened that day before came back to her, and water blurred her vision. Her father didn't want her anymore, and Hikaru had killed her mother. Distress pounded her and she buried her face in her arms, trying to stifle the sobs.

"You're awake."

Sasuke had been standing at the doorway gazing at her with steady eyes, arms crossed. The heartbroken girl forced a smile and said, "T-thank you, Uchiha-san, for helping me. I'm better now, so I can leave." She got off the bed, and tried to walk past Sasuke, but he blocked her way. She sidestepped, but there he was again, like a reappearing wall. "Uchiha-san, please. I've caused you enough trouble."

"Tch. I owe you anyway."

She looked at questioningly, but he didn't say anything more about that. "Hiashi disowned you, and since you don't have a place to stay, you can stay here as long as you need to. Neji moved your stuff here last night, so it's final." He disappeared into the hallway, and left her alone in silence.

xxOOxx

"Sasuke-kun is finally alone now. I'm going to go visit him in a couple of minutes!" Sakura gossiped to Ino. She expected a happy expression from her friend, but instead received one of pity. "What is it?"

Ino explained how Hinata was staying at Sasuke's which enraged Sakura. "What?! But...but why?" Ino shrugged her shoulders, and Sakura got up roughly and growled, "I'm going to go talk to him now." Ino pulled at her friend's arm and persuaded her to go later, for she worried for Hinata who would have to face Sakura's anger.

Sai also heard of how Hinata was staying at Sasuke's place, and felt somewhat saddened. He wondered of there was any relationship between the two quiet ninjas. But he wondered most about what he would do if there really was a close relationship between them. Could he just let Hinata go? They say, if you love someone, let them go. Sai really loved Hinata, but if he fought the Uchiha boy for her, she might end up getting hurt.

He sighed, undecided, and put it off to think about.

Then something in the atmosphere seemed to be disturbed and he froze. It was like something was about to happen, and that something wasn't good. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. When the feeling disappeared, he relaxed a bit, and dismissed it as his imagination. Although, he could have sworn he felt about 4 unusual presences.

On the rooftop of a nearby building, Karin let out a sigh of relief. "That was close. That guy is dangerous." Juugo nodded, and Suigetsu snickered and teased Karin. A fight would have started if Madara hadn't stepped in. "Keep your eye on the prize, children. Don't forget why Sasuke sent up here." In the shadows, his Sharingan glowed and spun.

xxOOxx

The punching bag collided onto the ground ragged and worn-out. Sasuke dripped in sweat and panted, after training his strength for the past 2 hours. He poured water on his head, and closed his eyes to feel the coolness seep beneath his scalp. His hand found the grip of his sword, and he unsheathed. The light from the ceiling glinted off the sharp edges of the blade.

He was ready for this. He would have Konoha pay for everything it did. He would destroy the village that destroyed everything he cared about. He would avenge Itachi.

_Hinata._

Sasuke had forgotten that she was upstairs still in that room. He heard the sobs she tried to silence, and felt that he should leave her alone. Her family had abandoned her, and killed her own mother. The lonely boy understood her all too well.

"Ano, Uchiha-san?" The sound of her soft voice surprised him, and when he blinked, he saw her beside him. But he masked his surprise and said with no feeling, "What is it?"

"Umm…do you need someone to spar with you?"

He thought about it. Dummies and punching bags weren't really helping him, and he remembered the spar he had with Hinata, and even though she wasn't difficult to defeat, she was better than what he had.

Without hesitation, their fight began. While they exchanged punches and kicks, memories of Itachi training with him, and his heart felt heavy with despair. There was more strength pushed behind every blow as he grew more and more frustrated. Then with a sudden lash of power, Hinata was slammed against the wall, and fell to the floor coughing violently.

Sasuke snapped out of his traumatizing trance, and rushed to Hinata's side. Patting her back didn't help, but after what seemed for a while, her coughs stopped and changed into pants. He pulled her upstairs to the kitchen, and handed her a glass of water, which she consumed in large gulps.

The boy with the obsidian hair didn't know how to explain himself, and was unsure of apologizing, when Hinata said in a hauntingly quiet voice, "Uchiha-san, is something disturbing you?"

A scowl spread across his face and with a curt answer, "No," he turned to walk away into the hallway. But Hinata quickly held onto his wrist and urged, "Please tell me. Tell me, if it's bothering you so much." At this point, Sasuke lost his cool.

"What's bothering me is you. Every time I look at you, it drives me insane. You bring me memories of everything painful in my past, mainly memories of my brother before the murder of my clan. You make simple and normal things more complicated than they should be. _You_ are the cause of my pain," he snarled with several emotions: annoyance, disgust, and hurt.

But then his sight seemed to clear, and when he blinked he saw shock and hurt plain on Hinata's face. The glass of water she carried lied on the floor. Tears rose to her eyes, and without thinking, she ran out of the house.

Too late, at that moment, Sasuke terribly regretted what he said. He sat down hard on a chair and placed his head in his hands. Sasuke didn't understand why he said such things. Although he believed what he said was true, there was a small but strong part of him that said that it wasn't true. He didn't know what to believe.

Sasuke had hurt Hinata during training, said painful things to her, and made her run off in tears. He didn't understand why this girl made him into a mental wreck.

xxOOxx

Sai stopped walking, sensing the familiar presence of Hinata not too far away. He looked up and saw Hinata sitting alone on the rooftop of one of the buildings. A tear leaked from the corner of her eyes, and immediately, Sai decided to find out what was going on.

"Hinata?" The silent girl jumped at the sudden company of her good friend. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and faced him with a smile. "Sai-kun! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Sai nodded but didn't smile as he usually did with her. She pretended to not notice, and continued, "Gomen…things have been messy lately, and I really wanted to be able to talk to you." Her smile became more strained and sad.

Sai looked at her with sadness throbbing in his heart. His voice shook as he said, "Hinata…don't smile like that. It's painful." Hinata looked up at him with a start and then started crying. Sai sat beside her and put a hand at her back. Uncertainly he said, "Hinata…did Sasuke hurt you?"

Hinata shook her head, which made Sai confused. "It's just…I feel like a burden to Uchiha-san. I remind him of his terrible past. I just wanted to be alone right now." Sai was silent for a moment and stood up. "Hinata, if you ever need me…I'll always be here, ok?"

She nodded, and smiled with a happier smile. "Arigatou, Sai-kun. You are my greatest friend."

At that sentence, Sai's heart seemed to shatter.

xxOOxx

Sasuke couldn't find her anywhere. After moments of loneliness, Sasuke felt the emptiness of the house bear down on him, and he set out to look for her. That girl was like a lodestone to him. A lodestone that kept him balanced. He had been thinking…it wasn't because of her that he had been thinking of Itachi. It was because of Itachi he had been thinking of her. Itachi had always been the one closest to him…and now that he was gone, Hinata…she didn't stand in his place, but she stood beside Sasuke.

Finally he spotted her sitting on the roof of a building. But she wasn't alone. Sai was with her, and was listening seriously to her. He saw her smile, and say something. Sasuke watched them from a distance, with a strange creeping feeling in him. Finally Sai stood and walked away, leaving her alone.

Sasuke jumped onto the rooftop and stood behind her. When she heard his footsteps, she turned and was surprised to see him. After hesitating, he opened his mouth, but she spoke before him.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san. I was silly for not realizing that I was a bother. I'm really sorry about your brother, and if you'd like I can move-"

"No. It's okay. It's my fault, because I've just been thinking about Itachi a lot. But don't go. At least…not yet…" The dark boy wasn't sure of how he should word things, but fortunately, Hinata understood. She stood before him and held out her hand as if he should shake it.

"I understand, Uchiha-san. Thank you so much. Can we be friends without a barrier between us?"

Sasuke regarded her for a moment, and smirked. "We can if you stop calling me 'Uchiha-san'. Just say 'Sasuke'." Hinata's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then smiled. "Then let's go home…Sasuke."

xxOOxx………….

Sakura hated the fact that Sasuke had taken Hinata in. She thought that Sasuke would finally be alone for her, when Hinata just had to come in. Sakura had never been really close to Hinata. She just saw her as a quiet girl that she never really noticed. Her blood boiled when she thought of how close Hinata was now to Sasuke.

Hinata heard a loud banging at the door, and when she opened it, she was face to face with Sakura. She smiled politely and said, "Good morning, Sakura-san!" But she noticed something was wrong, and could feel anger radiating from the frame of the pink-haired kunoichi.

Everything happened too quickly. Sasuke came from behind to see who it was, Sakura raised her hand, and suddenly, Hinata felt a burning sting across her cheek. "Sakura!" Sasuke barked.

The Haruno girl was purple with rage, and her eyes stung with agitated tears. "What? How can you be so cruel? Especially you, Hinata!" She paused and took a breath. "You knew I liked Sasuke-kun. Sasuke-kun, you knew I liked you! But why do you have to hurt me by taking care of _her_?!" She threw a deadly glare at Hinata who flinched, but Sasuke just regarded her coldly.

"Sakura. You knew I didn't like you the way you liked me. You knew. Yet you wouldn't accept it. It's your fault you got hurt. But you didn't have to get hurt. You could have opened your eyes and realized that there was someone waiting for you so patiently. Someone you deserve. Someone better than me. But you kept ignoring him. Do you think you've been badly hurt? Then what about Naruto's pain? Yours is nothing compared to his."

Sakura stood there unable to move. First she felt hurt and anger, because of the cold tone in his voice. That harsh expression on his face. Then it was a sudden impact of relief and hope. It was like she was happy to hear that, as if a terrible burden on her chest was lifted, and she could finally breathe.

Her feet began to move, and she was running as hard and fast as she could. Her eyes searched every street, every shop. Then he was there. "Sakura-chan?" Naruto sat on a bench that was beneath the branches of a beautifully blooming cherry blossom tree. The wind scattered the petals around him, and then she realized how right Sasuke was.

Naruto had always been waiting for her, even though she thought he had given up. He waited even now, and perhaps she should end his suffering. _Thank you Sasuke. Thank you Hinata._


	8. Snow

Part 8- Snow

Part 8- Snow

Sasuke caught Hinata smiling at him, and with an annoyed look, he inquired what she was smiling about. "What you did for Sakura-san…it was kind." Her look was so gentle, and Sasuke made a sound and turned away. "All I spoke of was the truth. Besides…I owed Naruto."

At least he would in the future. There was no telling if Sasuke would ever see his comrades when everything was over. When the elders were dead, and his brother avenged. Naruto might hate him forever, so this could be the last thing he could do for his best friend. He would also make sure that there would be nothing else close to him, so he could cut every bond away with regret. Without pain.

While Sasuke was in deep thought, Hinata was quietly observing him. He wasn't as cold as he seemed to be. No…he was cold so he could hide everything about him. Even though he had told her to call him "Sasuke" she still felt that he was so far away. She had only been living with him for about a week, and still…

"Ah, Sasuke! Would you like to go somewhere with me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

Hinata shrugged her shoulders, and leaned in close to him. "Let's go walk around." Before he could protest, she dragged him out of the house, and they walked down to the market. Apparently, there were many things on sale. She spotted a stand with sweet cotton candy, and pulled him over. He frowned and said, "I don't like sweets."

She pouted but then brightened. "Fine. More for me." Sasuke stared at her, for she seemed so different. Like a little child. She was in the middle of a bite when she felt him staring at her. Giggling she stuck her tongue out in a teasing way, but there was some cotton candy stuck on it.

Sasuke fought back the urge to laugh, and they continued their walk through the market. They walked past stands and tried out different foods, and Hinata would act as a little girl again. Sasuke liked the sound of her laugh, a laugh so sweet and free.

He wasn't paying attention to Hinata, when he suddenly realized that she had disappeared. His eyes scanned the crowds in panic, and he couldn't see her at all. Sasuke ran through past several people, and shouted her name frantically. "Hinata! Hinata!"

Then she was there behind him. She smiled weakly at him, and he rushed over to her side. Sasuke ran up to her and grabbed her hands. "Don't disappear like that." Her eyes widened in surprise, and then softened as he pulled her on their way home. "Gomen, Sasuke. I didn't know…I'm so sorry." He said nothing but stopped walking, which surprised and confused her.

"Sasuke? Is something wrong?" She walked before him and peered into his face. She saw emotions she had never seen before for a moment, but his bangs fell forward and covered his face. With a soft slow hand, she reached up and brushed back the bangs. The palm of her hand rested on his cheek, and her fingers briefly brushed the side of his face.

Beneath his pale white jade skin, Sasuke felt heat creep up, and fought to keep it down. Taking her wrist, he pulled her hand away, and said, "I'm tired. Let's go home." She stared at him for a while, and then nodded.

When they got home, Sasuke stood in the shower, letting the cold water hit his face. When she had disappeared in the market, he had felt an overwhelming feeling of panic. When Hinata had touched his face, he had felt a new emotion be born. He was afraid of what it meant and what it was, so he swore that he would make sure that he wouldn't feel such a vulnerable feeling again. It was such a light feeling…was it love?

He shook his head to read his mind of those useless thoughts. No…it couldn't be love…he didn't know love. He had things to worry about. Like his plans for destroying Konoha.

Meanwhile, Hinata was cooking a simple dinner for Sasuke, and was chopping vegetables. She was worried for her companion because all of a sudden, he was so tense. A sigh escaped her small lips and she thought of him more. She enjoyed being in his company. It was like she could be herself around him. Sometimes she felt a jittery feeling from within her, like people would say, butterflies in the stomach. She'd feel bold and shy at the same time, and somehow, it was a new feeling. Not like the crush she had on Naruto. This one was somewhat more meaningful more beautiful.

It was silly of her for not paying attention to what she was doing, for she suddenly felt a jolt of pain shoot up her hand. The knife clattered onto the counter, and a stream of blood dipped out of the side of her finger. Hinata put her finger in her mouth and sucked on the blood. She turned to get a towel, and suddenly she ran into Sasuke. _Why is he so quiet? I always run into him!_

His slick wet hair stuck to his face, and his red observant eyes fell on her finger in her mouth and the knife on the counter. With a sigh of annoyance, he gently took her wrist, and pulled her finger out of her mouth. With his other hand, he took a small piece of cloth and carefully bandaged it around her finger. "Be more careful next time."

With those words, he vanished to his room. Hinata stared after him, and after a long moment, she smiled. She knew what that feeling was now.

xxOOxx

Sai was sitting in the library calmly reading a book on human behavior, when he felt his thoughts shift to Hinata. Nobody had ever been able to break past his heart's barriers so easily, and yet, she had accomplished them without even knowing it. Her sweet innocence and kindness hurt him more than anything, and yet it hurt him the most to see that she loved someone else.

Perhaps she didn't realize it, but it seemed plain in his eyes. His heart seemed to tear at the thought, but he tried to reassure himself by saying that what was most important was their friendship.

The pale reclusive boy was lost in thoughts when he realized that standing beside him was Naruto. "Oi, Sai! What's wrong? You seem terribly depressed today." Even though there was no answer, Naruto seemed to figure out the problem. "It's Hinata, isn't it?"

Sai stared at Naruto in wonder. "How did you know?" Naruto smirked and said, "Sai, you just need to know people better. Anyway, so what's wrong with Hinata?"

With a sigh, the ANBU root boy replied, "I shouldn't waste my time confessing. I can tell that she doesn't feel the same way."

With a frown, the answer came. "You should still confess. It's less painful that way. And besides, it will be an easier friendship with nothing uncomfortable in the way. Know that Hinata considers you her greatest friend."

"Really?"

With a smile and nod from his companion, Sai relaxed and stayed silent for a while before saying, "Thank you, Naruto. Congratulations with Sakura too." At this remark, Naruto's face was a cherry red color, making Sai laugh with amusement.

The library closed, but Sai sat outside on the steps deep in thought again. Particularly thinking of Naruto's advice, and the truth in them. His heart may break, but it will be mended through their friendship. He felt pride swell in him at the fact that he was considered her greatest friend. The sunlight warmed his pale skin and the corners of his lips curled up into a genuine smile.

xxOOxx

It was the first day of winter, for snow lightly sprinkled from the white clouds that hovered above the village. Rays of light cracked through the edges of the sunlight making it seem as if angels were coming down.

Sasuke felt the snow kiss his face coldly and his body shivered at the feeling. He remembered that day of snow where he and Itachi had played. He had been just a child, and Itachi not my older than he was now. Itachi had laughed. Sasuke tried to remember what it wounded like, but he heard nothing, just the wind breezing by. Flashes of the snowmen and angels, snowball fights, and snow games came back to him. Tears threatened to fall from his red saddened eyes, but he wouldn't let them.

Then Sasuke felt something cold and wet slap his back. His eyes snapped around and fell lost in a pool of white eyes. Hinata smiled, and stuck out her tongue playfully, taunting Sasuke. He smirked and before Hinata realized, a snowball smacked into her face. Wiping the snow off, she couldn't help but laugh. The two ran around dodging and throwing ice cold snow.

Finally they collapsed with exhaustion and fell onto the soft white blanket that covered the ground beside each other. Once their breathing settled down, Sasuke closed his eyes to take in the silence and the cold. In the distance he heard a swishing sound, and ignored it. But it kept getting louder and louder, until he opened his eyes and found that he couldn't move.

His body was encased in snow, and the shadow of Hinata loomed over him. He could see her cheerful smile, and struggled to get free of the ice. Feeling sorry for him, and that the joke was over, Hinata helped remove the snow. Once it was gone, she felt herself shoved onto the ground beside her, and found her staring into the mesmerizing red eyes of an Uchiha. She was aware of how close he was and the heat from her face could have melted the snow.

Sasuke seeing this, smirked, happy with his revenge. He helped her up, and almost laughed at the sight of her pout. He turned away to head home, but stopped when he felt cold small lips press against the side of his face. He stared at Hinata, unsure of what to feel. Why didn't he feel angry like he usually would? Surely he didn't enjoy it.

Hinata smiled with happiness. "Thank you for spending the first day of winter with me, Sasuke." Grasping his hand, she pulled him to the nearest shop for hot soup. Interestingly, Sasuke followed willingly. His body moved for him, while his mind was in a mess.

How come this girl was so different?

Why couldn't he get angry with her?

Why did she seem to bring out a different side of him so easily?

"Sasuke? Is something wrong?" Her eyes were tainted with worry for him, and he uncomfortable found him staring back at her. "I-It's nothing," he finally said with a warm feeling in his cheeks. He turned away, and again, his mind was in confusion.

While he was letting the warmth of the soup thaw the numbness in his skin, he forced himself to think of other matters. He had to think of when to meet with his team and Madara, for the downfall of Konoha, and how he was going to do it. Would he kill every single villager and ninja? Or just the council, elders, and the Hokage? Sasuke knew he would have to think very carefully.

xxOOxx

The first week of winter went by really slowly, and Sasuke waited impatiently for the day he had set up to meet with his comrades. Finally that cold night, while Hinata was in bed, he snuck out to the outside of the main gate. When he got there, the moonlight began to dim as clouds passed over. But still no sign of Eagle or Madara. He stood for a couple of minutes and counted, and when he turned to his right, there they were.

Xxxxx

Hinata felt something was wrong. Her Byakugan searched the entire house, the entire property of the Uchiha, and yet…no sign of Sasuke. Throwing her covers off, she pulled on a long black coat to shield her from the night's coldness, and stepped outside. Her eyes wandered ever corner and shadow of the village, but there was no sign.

She was about to give up and turn away when traces of his chakra caught her eye. Following them, she wound up outside the village. Taking a breath, she ran past trees, keeping her eye on his chakra. She noticed how there were 4 other traces of chakra, and she gritted her teeth in confusion.

Finally Hinata came to a private clearing, and sensing voices and presences, she hid herself well behind several trees in a long distance. Nobody would be able to tell she was there. But then she thought her breath almost stopped, when she saw Sasuke walk forward and greet the 4 people. Her eyes widened and her heart broke when she heard him say, "Let's get on with the downfall of Konoha."

Forcing herself to stay calm, Hinata listened carefully to each word.

"Do you want the entire village destroyed? Or only certain people." The man in the orange twisted mask spoke with an ancient deep voice. Sasuke was silent for a moment, as if contemplating an answer. "Madara…I know you want to destroy the entire village, but that's not what I want. I want the deaths of the elders, Hokage, and every opposing shinobi. That's all I want."

_Madara?!_ Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sasuke wanted the death of all the leaders of Konoha! Konoha would surely be out of control! And here was the leader of the Uchiha clan, who was presumed dead!

The masked man seemed silent for a while, and then sighed with disappointment. "Very well, Sasuke. That's fine." Behind the man, a shark faced boy smirked, and said, "So when do we start having fun?"

Sasuke turned his eyes on the shark boy and said, "We need to be careful and patient with this. First, we need to get close to the elders and Konoha, learn of the shinobi who won't follow."

A girl with red hair said, "But, won't that practically be ALL of the shinobi? Most are really loyal to the Hokage." Sasuke nodded his understanding, but the nod also showed, that he would do whatever it takes.

"Then we'll take our leave," a blonde tall boy said.

Once they left, Sasuke disappeared from the clearing, but Hinata, unnoticed, stayed behind the trees, with a hand pressed against her mouth, trying to withhold the tears coming forward. How could she have been so stupid? She had let the Hokage down, by not realizing that Sasuke was still…still…


	9. I've found you

Part 9- I've found you

Part 9- I've found you

Her feet moved on their own, and she wandered absently back to the village. Hinata couldn't go back to the manor. She couldn't face Sasuke, knowing his intentions and plans. Her heart was torn, not knowing what to do. She was weak for falling for a traitor, and now she was paying the price for it. The entire time, when she was trying to help him find his self, she had slowly fallen for him. Tears slid down her face, and blurred her vision, so she didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care.

Sai recognized her in the distance, and ran forward to her. "Hinata! What are you doing so late out here?" When she looked up at him, his body shook with shock. Her eyes…once so pure and white… were now crying and blank. "Sai…kun.." Those wet eyes closed, and she collapsed. He caught her just in time, to rush her to the hospital.

"S…Sai…kun…"

"Sshh…don't say anything. I'll get you there fast," he said in a rush, but she stayed stubborn no matter how weak she was.

"D-don't tell Sasuke…please…" Her voice trailed off, and Sai couldn't feel much life in her. Her skin had gone cold, and her breathing had seized. When he grabbed her wrist, there was only a faint sound of a beat.

When he got there, doctors immediately began working on her, and rushed her into ther emergency room. Tsunade had Sai wait outside. After waiting for what seemed hours, the blonde woman finally came out. "She'll be fine…but she has a heart problem. Her heart is really weak, and I'm afraid, that someday, it will stop beating. Stress and drastic emotions will shorten the time she has left. It started with the Chuunin Exams when she fought Neji, and according to her, Hiashi also hurt her. She doesn't want me to tell Sasuke, so I'm going to send him on a mission."

Sai's knees buckled beneath him, and he found himself sitting on the bench with his head in his hands. Hinata…she wouldn't live for much longer. The nurses let him in to see her, and what he saw broke his heart again.

There she was. Smiling with pale lips, weakly. Her skin was a ghostly white, and her eyes were like marble. Sai couldn't stop himself. He cried. "Sai-kun…I'm sorry…so sorry…" her voice was feeble and weak. He felt a clump in his throat blocking his words, so all he could do was listen to her. "Please…don't tell Sasuke…he doesn't need to know…about my heart, about-"

His hand was over her mouth, and her eyes opened more slightly. "Don't talk anymore…rest, okay? Tsunade said she will send him on a mission tomorrow, so you don't need to worry okay?"

With another weak smile, her head nodded, and she slept.

xxOOxx

All of a sudden, Sasuke had been sent on a mission, even though he had specifically said he wouldn't take any on. But according to Tsunade, all the other shinobi were on other missions, and he was her last resort. His mission was to deliver a scroll to the Gaara in Suna, and be back in exactly one week. Luckily, he would be doing this mission alone.

He could tell why they gave him exactly one week. They would surely suspect something if he came back early or late.

Sasuke had set out the next day, taking his time. It was winter, making it difficult to travel, because of the cold and wetness. Once, when he was jumping across trees, his foot slipped on a sheet of snow, and he fell to the ground below him. When he looked at the snow, he was oddly reminded of Hinata and her gentle face.

Sasuke shook all thoughts away from his head, but nothing worked. While he traveled, she was all he could think about. He tried imagining a new life without her, but it was too difficult. Then a terrible thought came to him: what if he had to kill her for opposing him? Could he do it? Sasuke didn't like to admit it, but it was like she was his weakness. It was difficult to hurt or get angry at her. Yet it was so easy to smile and laugh freely with her.

He hadn't realized until then. He had reached Suna. What struck him as odd was the way the village seemed to be so sandy still, not a piece of snow. But instead hot wind, it was cold and haunting.

The guards quickly tensed at his presence, and when he stated his purpose, they let him through. One serious guard guided him to the Kazekage's office.

Sasuke saw that Gaara hadn't changed much. Still that blood colored hair, bright green eyes, and dark rims. His pale face, and solemn expression was all too familiar. Gaara was thinking the same thing.

"Uchiha Sasuke…you haven't changed much have you?" his raspy voice called out. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and said, "You're one to talk. Here. This is from Tsunade." He handed Gaara the scroll, and the Kazekage scanned through it quickly.

"Please stay for a couple of days, and I'll give you a reply to send to Tsunade. You're going back anyway, isn't that correct?" Sasuke forced himself to agree, even though he hated the idea of being a messenger.

Gaara let Sasuke walk around the village without being watched on by anyone. Sasuke felt that it wasn't much different from Konoha. Despite the harsh winds, people still chatted casually, children played with each other joyfully, and smells of food drifted across the village.

Sasuke walked past this ally between to buildings, but stopped when he heard boys shouting.

"Do you think you're so great? Tch. You're family is dead!"

"Can't even fight back eh?"

"Weakling!"

"Pathetic!"

Sasuke saw a group of boys surrounding one little figure who was trying to shield himself from blows. Unconsciously, his mind took him to his past.

_Flashback_

_A large older kid punched him, and others held him down in a painful arm lock. _

"_Stop acting so tough, wimp!" _

"_The stupid Uchiha clan is dead now!"_

"_You've got no family!"_

_He felt so weak…he hated that feeling. The feeling that he was too weak to fight…_

_Flashback over_

xxOOxx

Isao felt so weak…he hated that feeling. The feeling that he was too weak to fight…He felt bruised everywhere, and thought it would never stop when he heard a strong dangerous voice say, "What are you jerks doing?"

A guy with jet black hair, and pale skin glared at the group of bullies. "Stay out of this mister! We gotta teach this kid who's boss!" The mysterious man raised his chin as if interpreting which kid would go down first.

"And if I don't stay out of it?" He leaned down so that he was at the kid's height. The kid screamed when he saw the strange man's eyes. They were a horrible red color, and stared at him with a terrible look. With no further thought, he ran. The other children followed his lead, catching glimpses of the man's eyes.

His eyes turned on Isao, crumbled against the wall, and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" the man said roughly. Isao made a feeble noise of a yes, and the man helped him up. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Saito Isao." He felt inferior to those red eyes that gazed at him with such curiosity. Sasuke noticed this and reassured him, "Just ignore the eyes. It's part of my inheritance. Come on, let me buy you something to eat."

They ended up at a small place that sold dumplings, and Isao was happily eating vigorously. Sasuke felt it was the time to ask his question.

"Isao, are you alone?"

The boy stopped eating and stared sadly at his bowl. Finally, he made out a nod, and said, "My entire family was wiped out by a disease…I'm alone now. All the kids make fun of me, and never let me play with them. They think I'm weak, and can't fight. But I want to become a ninja just like my father."

Sasuke took in the determined expression on Isao's face. For the first time, he actually paid attention to what the kid looked like. White snowy hair, dark tan skin, and bright blue eyes.

"I'm going to be staying in Suna for a couple of days. If you want, I can teach you a bit," Sasuke offered. He felt sorry for the boy, who was so similar to him. Alone, with no family. This kid should go down a brighter path than the one Sasuke went through.

Those blue eyes shone with hope. "Really? Will you really do that?" At Sasuke's nod, it was so obvious that Isao was happy.

Starting that day, Sasuke taught him simple jutsu, and worked on his speed and power. Isao learned surprisingly quickly, and took in the information quickly. He thrust his leg in the air with a powerful fast kick. He jumped through the air with ease and flexibility. Sasuke was proud of this child.

On the day before Sasuke had to leave, they sat together on a rocky edge and watched over the village. "Thank you, Uchiha-sensei!" Sasuke felt awkard at the honorific, but smiled for the boy's sake.

"You are a gifted kid. You'll be a great shinobi in the future. Use your power to protect. I didn't do that, and to this day, I'm still quite alone."

"But is there someone you want to protect?"

Sasuke was about to answer no, but then an image of Hinata appeared in his mind. Isao noticed his master's silence. "Uchiha-sensei, is it a girl?" Sasuke was awfully surprised by the comment, and cuffed the back of Isao's head.

"Ow!! It must be then," Isao said with a laughing tone. Then with another teasing tone, "Do you love her?" He expected to be cuffed again, but then when he took another look, Sasuke was silent again, staring into emptiness.

"I don't know what love feels like, so I can't tell…but would you call love a feeling of always wanting to be there for someone. Someone who makes you feel different, who makes you feel new?"

Isao grinned broadly and cried, "That's what Father said once to Mother! Uchiha-sensei is in love!!" The playful voice of his student made Sasuke smile. And it was sad that he had to leave this child the next day.

xxOOxx

After sorrowful goodbyes and promises, Sasuke finally made it out of the village, with Gaara's reply. Sasuke had promised that he would come back to visit Isao. He thought often of what Isao had said.

_Uchiha-sensei is in love!!_

Sasuke found himself smiling quite a lot lately. Smiles he couldn't hold back. He smiled with Isao and Hinata. But with nobody else. He had accepted it, for he felt there was no point in denying.

The raven-haired boy finally got back to Konoha when it was night, and reported immediately to Tsunade's office. He delivered the scroll to the Hokage, who, after rough thanks, sent him away. When he was gone, Tsunade smiled as she told her assistant, "That boy is softening."

Sasuke got back home tired, and realized that Hinata about to walk out the door. "Are you going somewhere?" He suddenly felt as if he hadn't seen her in a long time, and it was a relief to see her. But her face was sad and long. "Sasuke…I'm moving out."

It was so sudden, it took Sasuke a while to process what she said. "Is there a reason why?" She looked at him in the eye sadly and said, "I can't keep a secret of one who is going to destroy this village for long if I keep living with him."

Every limb and muscle froze in his body. He couldn't do anything as Hinata slowly moved past him. The shuffle of her cloak whistled past his ear.

_She knows…she knows now…_

He felt lost and hopeless all over again. Then Isao's voice sounded in his head again, "_Do you love her?"_

Before he could changed his mind, he turned on his feet and raced after her. There she was walking slowly with her cloak blowing in the cold wind.

Hinata was surprised, when she felt arms wrap around her. But she was incredibly shocked when she saw that they were Sasuke's arms. He held her tightly, and she didn't fight to free herself. The two stood there for quite a while. Finally she heard his smooth voice speak in her ear:

"You told me that you hoped that someday, I'd find someone precious to me."

She waited for him to continue, her heart beating at an incredible rate.

"Well, I've found her. I've found you."


	10. Deadline

Part 10

Part 10- Deadline

Hinata didn't understand what Sasuke said. Her? Precious? Only her late mother and comrades had ever thought of her as precious. How could he be so cruel to tease her like this? With that thought, she tried to wrestle herself from his grip, but he pulled her even closer, which made her stop her struggle.

His breath was on her ear, and she was sure he could hear the blood pumping in her ears. He buried his face on her shoulder, near the crook of her neck. "Don't go." Then something wet seemed to seep through the collar of her shirt, and when she turned her head to see, her heart cried and tore.

Sasuke was crying silently. Small, unwilling tears were sliding down his face as he repeated those two words. Hinata turned herself around in his arms to face him. His black ebony hair melted into the velvet night sky, and the moonlight reflected off his own pale skin. She wrapped her own arms around his neck, and returned his embrace.

"Silly…I'm not going anywhere," she managed to whisper, for she too started to cry. But she was crying from happiness for the first time in a long time. His muscular arms tightened around her thin waist, and he continued to cry quietly.

Happiness at last…Sasuke was happy at last. He had found someone to care for, someone to love. He listened to her voice and inhaled her mild scent, letting it calm him. Never again would he let her go.

They stood there together for a long while, holding each other as if they were holding onto the fragment of life. Neither seemed to notice the bitter cold wind, and harsh snow piled at their feet.

xxOOxx

There wasn't any tension between the two again. It was comfortable and not at all awkward. Even though they still continued their silent ways, they understood each other more than ever. But unlike most couples, they didn't hold hands or kiss each other teasingly. In fact, they hadn't kissed yet, since they felt it wasn't important.

No, their relationship was not like that. It was much deeper. They comforted each other when they were down, and cheered each other up. They soaked each other's pain, and held each other to fight their sorrow. It was a connection no one else could understand. Of course, it was love. But a special kind of love.

One day, Hinata suddenly brought up a difficult topic. "Will you really destroy Konoha?" Sasuke stopped what he was doing, and stared at the ground. "I…don't know anymore."

When his eyes met hers, he saw worry and apprehension. He stood and neared her slowly. He softly brushed her hair back, and rested his chin on top of her head. He whispered quietly, "What am I going to do?" Hearing his whispery laughter, Hinata closed her eyes and pressed her face into his shoulder.

Sasuke didn't know if to revenge his brother and break the heart of this girl or the other way around. Over Hinata's head, for a moment, though he thought he saw a faint image of Itachi smiling, as if approving of what he was doing then.

Maybe once he decided, there won't be any problems. But Sasuke had no idea how wrong he was.

xxOOxx

"Tsunade-sama…h-how much longer does she have?" Sai said with a foreboding sense. The blonde woman turned around to face him with a stern serious look on her face. "At the most…one year. I don't know much more than that. I'm sorry, Sai."

One year. Sai crumbled to the ground on his knees with shock evident in his eyes. He was oblivious to the sorry look on the Hokage's face. His mind was invaded with shock, pain, and sadness. It was the first time he had felt so many emotions at the same time, and it almost overwhelmed him.

Sakura burst into the room. "Tsunade-sensei! Is it…is it true? Hinata…she's-" Her voice stopped at Tsunade's nod, and the sight of Sai on his knees. "Hinata doesn't want anyone to know. Especially not her family or Sasuke. Is that understood, Sakura? You won't speak a word of this."

Speechless, the kunoichi nodded. At the same time, Sai suddenly implored, "Tsunade-sama!! Can you help her? Please tell me you can save her!! Please!! I'm begging of you! SAVE HER!!"

Tsunade and Shizune stared at the despairing boy with sadness, and turned their eyes so they could not meet his. Sai couldn't move, and bowed his head instead. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes, and Sakura tried to help him up by taking his arm, but he roughly shoved her aside and stood on his own. He strode out of the hospital, and once outside, he broke into a run.

Sai didn't know where he was going. He just ran until he was finally out of breath and energy. When he looked he was in a snow-covered park. There he stood amongst bare dark trees, and white grass. That's when he let his tears out. They came without stopping, and he didn't bother wiping them. The park was empty, so there was no one to hear him yell in frustration and pain. His yells and cries were unnoticed by everyone except one girl who was standing right behind him.

"Sai-kun?"

He spun around and found himself staring at Hinata. The sight of her made him cry even more, and he averted his eyes. She reached out and took his hand. She pulled him over to a bench, and had him sit down beside her.

"Sai-kun…please don't be upset. I know I'm very sick. Tsunade-sama told me everything and that you were upset. I'm sorry I made you upset-"

He cut her as he gazed at her intensely with his tear-stained eyes. "No, that's not it! You don't deserve this fate! Why did it have to be you? Why-"

She smiled a terribly sad smile. "I think I do deserve it. I've been a terrible person. I've known of your feelings for a while…but I didn't want to say anything. I was afraid of ruining our friendship. Isn't that selfish?" A single drop of water slid down from her eye.

Sai opened his mouth to say something but she continued, "And I've also fallen in love with a person who wants revenge. I've neglected my family too. But Sai-kun," her eye caught his eye, "please don't tell anyone. I don't want to burden them with another problem. Please…I beg you to not say anything. And…I have another request."

The pale boy listened intently as she said with streams of tears from her eyes, "Please stay as my friend. My closest friend."

He was stunned for a moment. It was like the snow and ice had covered every joint and bone in his body, seeping through his skin, and freezing his brain. But at her begging eyes, he had to agree. With his nod, Hinata smiled another sad smile, and faced the sky.

xxOOxx

Sakura was worried about the way Sai had run out. He didn't notice that he almost ran into Naruto. The loud blonde was extremely surprised and worried for you never see Sai in such distress. When Naruto asked Sakura what had happened, her throat burned to tell him the truth, but remembering her promise, she just shrugged her shoulders with concern.

Naruto, being completely oblivious, took her word for it, which made guilt spill all over her. What would he do if he knew that his friend would die within a year? He'd throw a fit. And what's worse, he'd tell Sasuke. She knew that Sasuke had every right to know, but she wondered what would happen if he knew.

So many choices, so many decisions and dilemmas. She hoped she'd be able to keep it secret long enough as a last request to her friend.

xxOOxx

Sasuke had decided to change his mind. If he killed Konoha, he would kill Hinata. He knew her dedication to the village, and didn't want her heart broken. But it just wasn't Hinata. It was Itachi too. Lately, he had been hearing his brother's voice.

_Don't do it, Sasuke. _

_Revenge solves nothing._

_Have you learned nothing?_

That voice haunted him, and he longed for it to stop. He had the feeling that it wouldn't stop until he called off the attack. Itachi didn't want Konoha dead. It was too obvious. Especially at night when he slept. Images of burning houses and trees, ash-covered grass, and the smell of blood everywhere. And in the mist of it was Itachi glaring at Sasuke with sheer intensity.

He'd wake up sweating insanely, and with every limb in his body trembling madly. His blood would feel as if it were on fire, and his teeth would chatter from the cold outside. He was afraid that he'd wake Hinata up with his tossing and turning in bed.

Sasuke had to end this. He couldn't do it.

Finally Eagle and Madara appeared. "Why the sudden meeting?" Suigetsu asked with a sour look as if he woke up on the wrong side of bed. Karin threw a glare at him and Juugo said, "He just woke up on the wrong side of bed." Sasuke sometimes wondered if Juugo had special abilities that Orochimaru took interest in, like mind-reading.

With a breath, he bluntly said, "We're calling it off. The attack." Everyone froze. It was like they thought Sasuke was speaking gibberish. With impatience, Sasuke repeated what he said with more power and firmness, proving his final decision. Madara, furious, demanded, "What are you saying?!"

"You heard me clearly. We're calling it off. I know how much you want to see Konoha in flames, but I won't be the one to do your dirty work. Do it yourself." Sasuke said this bravely, without a hint of fear or submission. Karin's eyes flickered between the two Uchiha, feeling overpowered by the intense chakra in the air.

Madara stood there for a while, fists clenched, and dangerous eyes flickering with terrible fury. Then he relaxed and let out a small forced laugh. "Itachi still finds a way to fight me even when he's dead. Fine, have it your way, Sasuke. I'll find a way someday, when you're long gone, dead and out of the way." With those words, his dark cloak wrapped around him and he disappeared as if he melted into the shadows.


	11. Timeless

Part 11-

Part 11- Timeless

Hinata was finally home from that week-long mission. It was a simple mission: to escort some nobles to another village. She had been anxious to get home to see Sasuke. She was worried of whether he would really destroy Konoha…

"Sasuke! I'm back!" she called as she took off her shoes in a hurry. When she looked up, Sasuke was standing right there with that familiar smirk. "Welcome back," he stated simply. Hinata stood straight up to face him, and he saw the worried look on her face.

Before she could open her mouth, he answered her unspoken question. "I called off the attack." Her eyes widened and then seemed to sparkle with happiness. With glee, she hugged Sasuke and thanked him over and over. Then Hinata stared into his red eyes, and asked, "But what about avenging your brother?" She felt guilty that she had caused Sasuke to give up his goal.

He smiled down at her, and ran his fingers through her hair. "Itachi told me to stop." She was confused, but she nodded, not wanting to press any further. They broke apart, and Sasuke took her hand and said simply, "Follow me."

They walked through some corridors that Hinata had never been through. Finally they came to a room. It was completely white all over, the walls, the ceiling, the floor. And on 2 of the walls, there was a window, that stared out at a garden. But Hinata gasped at the long black piano in the center of the room. "S-sasuke…what is this?"

He smiled at her, and drew her into another embrace. "My birthday present to you." His lips were pressed against the top of her head. "Happy birthday, my precious."

Sasuke pulled her over to the piano's bench, and sat her down. Her fingers glided over the surface of the keys, feeling the smooth white cover of the keys. Then she began to play. He listened to her with peace. It was like magic, her music. Every note swept a weight of burden from him. Every chord took an ugly feeling away. The tempo calmed him and sang to him.

Hinata felt tranquil as she played. She put her heart into it, feeling the music within her. It was like she was running freely with the wind beside her, throwing behind everything she feared. And there beside, her was Sasuke. Though he never said those words, he loved her. And she loved him.

xxOOxx

(2 months have passed)

"Sai!" The white-skinned boy turned and saw Sakura and Naruto. "Oh, hello, Sakura and Naruto," he said with the same smile. They looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright Sai?" His smile dropped as he looked at them strangely. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Naruto stared at his feet. "We heard that...Hinata…didn't…you know…have the same feelings for you…" Sakura was also blushing with embarrassment. Sai laughed. "Yes, but that's okay." Sakura stopped blushing, and Naruto looked up in shock. "You're okay with that?"

Sai nodded, and said, "Yes, I am. As long as I didn't lose her friendship, and as long as she's happy, then I'm good." The couple stared at Sai with admiration. He really did seem happy, and relieved. But Naruto didn't notice the slight signal of disturbance on Sai's face. Sakura did, on the other hand, and she knew that Sai was thinking about Hinata's suddenly-cut life.

Naruto patted Sai hard on the back, and yelled, "Let's go get ramen, Sai! It's on me!" Of course, it was at Ichiraku's. Naruto consumed several bowls as usual, and Sakura was scolding him for his appetite. Sai smiled at the couple in amusement, but didn't eat very much. Sakura noticed this, and when Naruto went to the restroom, she asked Sai, "You're worried about Hinata's condition, aren't you?"

The pale boy nodded and looked up, staring at the sky. "It's so difficult to believe that a girl like her, so pure, so kind…that she..will just disappear in less than a year. If I could stop time, I would, just to see her live."

Sakura watched him in sadness. "Sai, I'm sorry. Hinata is too. But she's accepted it. She's making the best of the time she has now. It's been 2 months since, and Sasuke still doesn't know. Hinata is going to be due for check-ups. Tsunade can determine the specific amount of time she has left from these check-ups. One year isn't exact." She placed a friendly hand at his shoulder.

With no words, Sai got off his seat and disappeared into a crowd. Sakura wished she could help Sai somehow. The only people who knew of Hinata's heart problem was Sai, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune. It wouldn't be easy to keep everything a secret.

Sai had been walking when he saw 2 children sitting together. One was a boy, and the other was a girl. The boy was holding out a beautiful white lily out to the girl, who smiled and took it. He thought the kids were adorable, and wished he could have been as foolish as they were. He continued walking and found himself staring at Hinata.

She was at a stand, buying fruits. Her laughter carried through the wind. The girl Sai had seen, ran up to Hinata, and tugged at her sleeve. Hinata smiled and handed her an apple. The girl carried the apple over to the boy and handed it to him. His face brightened and he smiled happily.

Hinata felt someone was watching her, and then realized it was Sai. She went over to him, and gave him her greetings. "Is something wrong?" she said worriedly at his silence. He took a breath and said, "I'm…just worried. About your health. You're going to be gone soon."

Suddenly, Hinata hugged him in a friendly way. Sai was surprised. When she let go, she smiled a radiant smile. "Don't worry. I won't be gone completely. You'll remember me won't you?" At his nod, she continued, "If I'm remembered, I'm not gone." Sai couldn't help but smile at her remark.

His eyes moved to the sky again. Yes…perhaps he couldn't prevent her from dying, but he could prevent her from being forgotten.

xxOOxx

Spring was here. Sasuke smiled as Hinata squealed with glee, as flowers began to bloom in their garden. Life had grown from the cold hands of winter. Colors began to spring everywhere. White, red, pink, blue, purple. Every color and shade was visible. Leaves began to grow on the black barren trees, and cherry blossoms had started to bud. The birds had come back to sing their sweet melodies, and crickets were singing at night.

The spring festival was finally here. Hinata had dragged Sasuke to go again. This one was during the day, instead of at night. The main park in Konoha seemed to be in full bloom. Bright green grass was everywhere. Tall strong cherry blossom trees stood high. Bushes and flowers were spread through out the park. Children with spring festival masks danced together, and people were crowded around food stands.

Sasuke and Hinata watched several acts and shows, most being quite interesting. People from other countries were here admiring the beautiful time of spring in Konoha.

"Oi! Sasuke!" Naruto had called from behind them and was jumping up and down to get their attention. "Join the drinking contest!" Sasuke smirked and walked over, leaving Hinata alone with all the other girls to worry about their health.

Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, and Shikamaru were drinking several bottles at an incredible pace. Tenten was trying to hold Lee back, but it wasn't working. He was starting to act strange, and tables were being snapped in two, until finally, Tsunade had to come in and take him out.

Hinata was quite surprised to see Gaara and his siblings. But then there was a small white-haired boy she didn't recognize. Kankuro decided to join the competition. Temari began to talk to Hinata, complaining about Shikamaru, "He's so bored, he wants to drink. Eh…he can be an annoying guy." The Hyuuga girl laughed, but then stopped when she saw the white-haired boy peeking from behind Temari.

She kneeled down to his height and smiled. "Hello, I'm Hinata. Who are you?" Shyly, he said, "I'm Isao. Nice to meet you." Temari laughed and said, "This kid's from Suna. He wanted to come to the festival to see Sasuke."

At Sasuke's name, Isao brightened and squealed, "Yes! Uchiha-sensei! Where is Uchiha-sensei?" Hinata said, "Umm…he's playing with his friends for now. Just wait a little while, and he'll be with you. How do you know Sasuke?"

Isao explained how Sasuke had encouraged and taught him. Hinata was surprised that Sasuke seemed to be so kind to this boy in particular, but when Isao explained about his terrible past, Hinata understood all too well.

The competition was finally over and the winner was surprisingly Sasuke. Shikamaru had given up, and Naruto and Kankuro were laying sprawled unconscious on the floor. Sasuke didn't seem too fazed by the amount of drinking he did.

Then he realized that Isao was there. The boy brightened when he saw his master, and ran towards him. Sasuke was quite surprised that Isao threw a hug at him, but with a small smile, returned it. "Uchiha-sensei! It's so great to see you again!" Sasuke nodded. "Yes, it's been quite a while." Isao leaned in closer to Sasuke and whispered into his ear, "I met your lady! She's really pretty! Good choice."

Sasuke felt heat and embarrassment in his face and laughed. He was really glad to see this boy again.

Hinata smiled at the connection between Sasuke and Isao. Almost like father and son. Now that she thought of it, they seemed to be at the right age for that. Maybe…if Isao could come to live with them…when she was…gone, then perhaps, Sasuke wouldn't be so lonely. The thought made her a little bit happier for Sasuke, and yet guilty too.

"You're thinking about Isao live with Sasuke when you're gone from this world, aren't you?" She jumped at the sound of her best friend's voice. "Oh, Sai. You surprised me." Sai was silent, apparently waiting for her answer. With a sigh, she nodded. "I'm worried for him. I want him to be at least happy, even when I've moved on."

"Perhaps, you shouldn't think negatively. I keep praying that you can be healed. I'm sure the people who know of your state are too."

Hinata's lips curled into a smile and moved to say, "Thank you, Sai."

xxOOxx

Hinata had told Sasuke her idea the next day but left out the purpose of the idea. He really liked the thought of Isao living with him, but it would depend on Isao. Sasuke lifted Hinata into the air and drew her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Hinata!" Hinata said, "It's nothing. You should go talk to

Tsunade thought about it for quite a while. When Sasuke had said it was Hinata's idea, she suddenly understood the purpose. She smiled at the love in Hinata's heart, still wanting Sasuke to be happy, even after her death. It was the least Tsunade could do for her subordinate.

The Hokage sent Sasuke to Suna with a scroll describing the request to Gaara. The Kazekage read the scroll and thought about it. Isao as a lonely child, and he truly felt sorry for him. Isao could be happier with a family. The child could truly be happy. Gaara really wanted this for him.

"Go talk to Isao about it, and see if he'll agree. If he does, I have some papers for you to sign. And you do need to promise to take care of him. Make sure that you are his family."

Sasuke smiled, which surprised Gaara. Sasuke knew that Gaara felt sorry for Isao, because he too had been alone throughout his childhood. "If you'd like, if he agrees, I can bring him back often." Gaara smiled too, which surprised Sasuke. "I guess I'd like that."

Right there, a strong friendship grew between the two people who once were rivals.

xxOOxx

Since Sasuke was gone, Hinata was sent to the hospital for a check up. Tsunade was going to determine the exact amount of time she had left. Hinata was really glad that Sai was there sitting beside her, waiting for the results.

Finally Tsunade came out, and the two jumped up. "Well? What are the results?" Sai inquired. Tsunade looked sadly at Hinata and closed her eyes, because of the threatening tears.

"I'm so sorry Hinata. I calculated completely wrong. You had one third of what I said. And since 2 months have passed…you have 2 months left."


	12. Forgive me

Part 12- Forgive me

Part 12- Forgive me

Sai turned his head to hide his tears in shadows. It was too much to bear, and he felt his world turning. But then what Hinata was feeling was much worse than his condition.

Every limb in her body was numb with cold. Her head seemed to be frozen in time, and her eyes were stinging. It was like the world had stopped moving, and flipped upside down. Her heart wanted to cry, but she couldn't. It was like, along with her mind, her tears were also frozen. Her body was motionless, and her perfect pale face grew paler as realization dawned on her.

Slowly, she forced her body to move towards the Hokage, and then settled onto her knees with her head bowed down before Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama…I have one request…" Her voice was hardly audible, and was terribly hoarse. Tsunade listened intently.

"Please don't let Sasuke know why I died. He's been through enough, and I don't wish to hurt him anymore." At this point, Hinata couldn't take it, and tears began streaming down her face. "Tell him, I died in a mission. Tell him that I died in any way other than of a weak heart! Don't let him know that I was dying in his presence each day…please don't tell him!!"

Hinata started sobbing uncontrollably, and she could say no more. Tsunade's own eyes threatened to cry, but she forced herself to stay strong enough to say, "I promise, Hinata. My word as Hokage." Hinata continued to cry, and Sai, also crying, came to her side. He wrapped her in a reassuring hug, wishing with all his will that a miracle would happen. Or that this was all a dream, and he would wake up any moment.

xxOOxx

Isao was so excited. He got to live with Uchiha-sensei, or now…Sasuke. His teacher had told him to call him that. Isao would miss Gaara and those who were at least kind to him in Suna, but Sasuke had promised him that he would be able to visit often. Isao squeaked with happiness. He would be able to start anew with a family, and become the greatest of shinobi!

When they got back, Isao was dazzled by the large grandness of the Uchiha manor. He saw Hinata in the kitchen cooking, and he squealed her name, making her jump in surprise. Isao was shocked to see that her eyes were red from crying. "Onee-chan, is something wrong?"

Hinata sniffed and laughed. "No, I'm just cutting onions."

"Does it make you feel bad, cutting an onion?"

More laughter, less forced. "It's not that. It happens to everyone when they cut onions." Sure enough, when Isao neared the chopped onion, his eyes started to sting insanely. He stepped back and changed the topic.

"I'm so happy! I get to live with Sasuke and Onee-chan! You know, Sasuke really really loves Onee-chan, right?"

Hinata was caught off guard by what the child said, and for a moment couldn't say anything. But then she faked a sweet smile and leaned down to Isao's height. "Yes, I know. And I really really love Sasuke." Isao giggled with silliness and ran off to find Sasuke. The lady was left in the kitchen, staring at the onion she was cutting. Her eyes started watering, and not because of the onion.

Sasuke showed Isao his new room, which was down the hall from Sasuke's. Isao's jaw dropped as he saw the size of everything. His eyes sparkled with joy and he turned to hug Sasuke. "This is the best thing to happen to me!! Thank you so much, Sasuke!"

The man with raven hair smiled, and hugged the child back. Isao cried out, "Sasuke will be my dad, and Onee-chan will be my mom, right?" Sasuke's eyes opened more at the question, but then he smiled playfully, and lifted Isao into the air. "Yes, we are one family. As soon as I ask Hinata to marry me."

"When will that be?" Isao had a sly tone in his voice.

"Soon." And Sasuke meant it.

xxOOxx

The three spent the next couple of weeks together, and Isao finally experienced happiness in a long while. Hinata tried to forget her deadline coming up, while the entire time, Sasuke didn't know.

They always enjoyed having lunch in the garden, where Isao would try to catch butterflies and dragonflies. Sasuke would laugh and help him, while Hinata watched the two, with pain growing more in her heart. She couldn't bear to tell Sasuke, and ruin his happiness. In her soul, she felt it was like she was betraying him, by not telling him.

_Sasuke loves Onee-chan…_

Isao. At least Isao would be there to make him happy. She was glad that this kid would be with Sasuke, and that Sasuke would stay good-hearted for this child, who is so like his son.

"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!" Isao suddenly cried and ran up to Hinata with cupped hands. She peered inside and saw a beautiful lady bug inside of his hands. "Isn't it pretty?" Hinata smiled and nodded.

Isao chuckled and said, "Well, I think Onee-chan is prettier. Sasuke has good taste, doesn't he?"

"Oi, Isao!" Sasuke yelled out with a blush creeping up his face.

xxOOxx

Isao was enrolled into the Academy, and had begun to show signs of a successful ninja. He was eager to learn, and his purity and innocence always stayed in tact. Sasuke took out a lot of his time to train Isao, and he never worked the kid hard. Hinata also helped Isao on his training, and would show him some family techniques.

At the Academy, Isao made a lot of new friends, and developed close relationships. He also really liked Iruka-sensei. Iruka had praised him so much, and at the moment, even though he had just enrolled, he was at the top of his class. They didn't let him move up too fast though, but he didn't mind. He really liked his class, and wanted to cherish what he had.

Isao could never have been happier. For the first time, he felt he had found a place where he belonged. Sasuke was truly like his father, and Hinata was really like his mother. He remembered that Sasuke would try to propose sometime at the end next month, and he was really excited. Maybe he could have little siblings, and he would teach them everything he knew! He giggled at the thought, and became excited.

But then…Hinata always seemed as if she had something on her mind. Isao wasn't sure, but it seemed she was always sad with herself, but happy especially with Sasuke. Which made him feel good, but he was still uncertain.

xxOOxx

Sakura had heard of Hinata's cut time, and she had almost fainted. Her voice always burned to tell Naruto who was always talking about how happy he was for Sasuke to find a person like Hinata. It hurt her so much, and she could see that it was really affecting Sai. It was like he had turned his back on society, and his smiles seemed more and more obvious. Tsunade also seemed upset, because she felt that she was useless for not being able to do anything. Of course, Sakura felt the same way.

Time was moving too quickly for everyone. Sasuke was unprepared to propose, while Hinata, Sai, Sakura, and Tsunade, were anxious for another reason. Week by week passed, and finally one month was gone. They all wished they could stop time, and Tsunade tried to create a cure, but it was all in vain. Hinata said with a monotone voice, "I've accepted my fate. Please let me fulfill it."

She had asked Sai to be there for as long as possible for her, and he immediately agreed. It was the least he could do for his best friend. His feelings of love were gone and replaced by feelings of friendship.

Day by day passed again. Hinata felt as if her body would soon give in from the pressure. But still she made herself smile and laugh for Sasuke and Isao.

Sasuke…her love. She would love him always, even in the after life. Even though, those 3 special words had never been spoken between them, they never needed to. A kiss was not even needed. She couldn't ask him for that. If she did, her heart would surely stop. At night, in her room she would cry nonstop. Nightmares would throttle her every night. She'd wake up sweating madly, and panting breathlessly.

She had to do this. It was almost time. One more week.

xxOOXx

Isao was at the Academy, and Hinata had asked Sasuke to walk with her through the private park. They sat on a bench, and Hinata took a breath.

"Sasuke…"

He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"I…I have to go on a mission tomorrow. I'm…I'm sorry it's so sudden. But I just found out." She knew this was a lie, but he didn't. Hinata continued, "I'll be gone for a while. I don't know when I'm going to come back."

Sasuke's expression turned into a frown. "Really? No details?" he asked worriedly. She shook her head, and there was silence for a while between them. Hinata took another deep breath, and said,

"Sasuke, I love you."

His eyes widened at this. He opened his mouth the return those words, but she silenced him with a finger at his lips.

"Sasuke…those words…I truly mean them. I want you to know that. Everything that I've done, is because I love you. The next time you see me…that's when I want to here those words from you for the first time. Don't say them right now." Her smile was sad and silent, making his soul seem to tear.

Hinata stood up abruptly and said hurriedly, "I'd better get pack-" Then Sasuke stood up too, and pulled her towards him. She was surprised to feel his cool lips against hers. It was a simple kiss, just lips to lips. No passion involved. It was a simple kiss that made her heart break over and over with each second that passed. When they broke apart, he hugged her tightly, as if not letting her go.

"I want to make you stay. Even if it takes all of my power, I want you to stay. But I can't hold you back from your duty and your choices. I can't live your life. But I'll be waiting for you, and I'll miss you." He wouldn't be able to ask her to marry him. He would have to wait, which saddened him…

She buried her face in his shoulders and cried, not caring if he cared. "I'm so sorry Sasuke…please…please forgive me."

A/N: I know I'm moving really fast, but I'm trying to end this story as fast as possible. I don't want to make people wait and wait, like some dramas do. So I'm trying to get to the good parts. I'm sorry if this makes people feel as if it isn't as good anymore.


	13. I love you

Part 13- I love you

Part 13- I love you.

Isao was sad. Hinata had to leave before Sasuke could propose. Isao was sad for Sasuke, who seemed depressed, and for the fact that he could have had a real family. He would have to wait a while again.

There wasn't any class, for Isao and the other children were on break. Isao spent most of his time with Sasuke, not just training, but doing other fun activities. He also spent a lot of time with his new friends from the Academy.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was often seen with Naruto now. People were really glad that those two were now close friends again. Most of the time, they were either at Ichiraku's or at a sake bar. Naruto felt great pity for Sasuke, because since Hinata was gone, he was really depressed even though it had been a couple days. Sakura and Sai seemed to be oddly jumpy and down lately. Now that Naruto thought about it, he hardly ever saw Sai. It was as if he was always in a hurry or really busy.

Naruto thought that Sasuke was depressed about the absence of Hinata but apparently, that wasn't the point. A couple days since she was gone, Sasuke was staring at the small cup of sake in his hands. He said in a low sad voice, "It's not that she's not here…I feel like there's something I should know, but I don't. Something about Hinata."

His friend tried to cheer him up by saying, "Hey, you shouldn't worry! Hinata loves you, so she'd tell you everything you'd need to know!"

"But…that day…she said, 'Everything that I've done, is because I love you.' What do you suppose that means?"

The blonde boy couldn't say anything for a moment. It did sound like something was strange and wrong. It was a weird thing to say, as if somebody was going away. But then again, Hinata did go away, didn't she?

"I guess she's just making sure that you know she loves you," Naruto said after a while. He watched as his best friend turned his red eyes on him, making him shudder for a moment. Those red eyes always were supposed to make him feel as if his companion was dangerous and dark. But today, they seamed fearful and melancholy.

The Uchiha's baritone voice was barely audible. "I hope that's what she means."

xxOOxx

Of course, Hinata wasn't on a mission. She was in fact in the hospital.

Sai spent most of his time at the hospital, staying with Hinata. Tsunade had given a private secluded room in the hospital, and Hinata was really grateful. Her best friend would visit her everyday, so she wasn't exactly lonely. But it was scary, knowing that soon, you're heart would just give out at any moment. The feeling frightened her.

Hinata would often feel much weaker and tired than before. At night, she would hardly sleep, and would find herself, staring out through the large window in the room. She could see the lights of the village, and the stars in the sky. But her eyes would always find the place she once lived in. The Uchiha manor, where she was always with Sasuke. When she saw that place, she would cry, unable to stop.

Sakura also tried to help Hinata feel as best as she could. She'd give Hinata news about Sasuke and Isao, when the ill girl asked, and would also bring her food from her favorite restaurants.

To pass the time, Hinata would listen to a CD of music. Especially piano music. With every melody, she would be reminded of Sasuke. His face and voice would be in her mind, never forgotten.

xxOOxx

Sasuke could hardly sleep. Terrible nightmares would plague him every night, and he would often awaken Isao with his screams.

Hinata would stand there, in a snowy field. The white grass would bend in the wind, and he could hear faint piano music. But the thing was, she was just too far away. He called to her over and over, and running to her didn't help. His eyes saw her fall to the ground, snow scattering around her. And still, he couldn't reach her. But he could only hear those words, "Sasuke, I love you. Tell me the same when you see me again."

Those words tried to come out, but he was always too late. A feeling deep within him, said that if only he could say those three words, she could be saved. But "if only" wasn't enough.

When he jumped into an upright position, Isao would be standing at the doorway with terribly frightened eyes. Sasuke would hug Isao to reassure the boy that he was okay. But it didn't work. Nightmares similar to that one would continue every single night. Isao wished that he could ease Sasuke's pain, but more than wanted Hinata to be there. It was like, once she was gone, Sasuke had fell into a deep bottomless chasm.

Isao had talked to Naruto about it, but Naruto wouldn't know what to do. He tried to visit the Hokage, but Tsunade never had the time. His thoughts were always troubling him, and he started neglecting his schoolwork at the Academy. Iruka got worried, and when he asked Isao if there was anything bothering him, Isao would just say, he was worrying about Sasuke

Iruka decided to talk to Tsunade, since he often had the chance. "Tsunade-sama, I'm worried about one of my students, Isao." She raised a stern eyebrow and said, "What seems to be the problem?"

"His grades are falling, and apparently it's because he's worried about Sasuke." Iruka thought he saw a flicker of emotion fly across the Godaime's face. But then it disappeared as quickly.

"What's wrong with Sasuke?"

"He seems to be having terrible dreams, because of Hinata's absence. May I ask what exactly was Hinata's mission?"

But then something was wrong. Tsunade didn't answer for a very long time. The air around them seemed to still, and cold chills ran down Iruka's spine. "D-did something…happen…to Hinata?"

Tsunade couldn't lie to Iruka, who had taught Hinata in the Academy. He knew his own students. "Iruka. You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

Iruka couldn't believe it. Hinata was dying? It didn't seem to be possible. What would Sasuke do if he knew? He had promised that he would stay silent, but whenever he saw Isao in class, his throat burned to tell. What was worse, according to Tsunade, Hinata only had two days left.

From then on, Sai, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune weren't the only ones praying for Hinata. Iruka also prayed but not only for her. Also for Sasuke and Isao.

xxOOxx

All of a sudden, time seemed to slow for Hinata. The days felt longer, and it was like the sun enjoyed lingering in the sky before handing dominance over to the moon. It took her longer to sleep, and her nightmares seemed to go on forever. She didn't know how many days she had left, but it was certain that they were very few.

Sai knocked on the door, and opened it to see her staring out the window again. "Hinata, I brought lunch. Are you okay?" She jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned around to greet him. "Hello, Sai-kun. It's good to see you again. I'm fine, but how are you?"

"Same as always."

He set the food out on the small table beside her, and snapped open chopsticks for her. "Here. Eat it. You seem much thinner and paler." He pulled her over from the window to eat, and she stared at the food. "Gomen…I don't really feel like eating right now."

Worriedly, Sai asked, "Is something wrong? Hinata?! HINATA!"

But his voice seemed so faint, and a large jolt of pain shot up her left arm. The world seemed to spin around, and darkness was beginning to invade her vision. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. It was speeding up, and suddenly it stopped.

_Thump._

Sasuke turned around. For a moment, he thought he heard somebody hit the ground. Moreover, he thought Hinata was that someone. He shook the thoughts from his head, and continued his walk.

He met up with Naruto at the Ichiraku's Ramen shop. His friend was already slurping several bowls of ramen without stopping. "Slow down, dope. Or else you'll choke." At the Sasuke's sudden voice, Naruto indeed started choking. Once he swallowed and relaxed, he scolded Sasuke for being so silent. "You could have given me a heart attack!" Sasuke laughed and ordered a bowl of ramen.

He was almost done when Sakura was suddenly beside him. This caused him to choke, and Naruto patted him hard on the back, laughing all the way. When he was okay, Sasuke finally took a good look at Sakura's face.

Tears rolled down her face in endless streams, and her skin was sickly pale. Those green eyes had terror and sadness in them, and immediately, Sasuke knew something bad had happened. Naruto asked her worriedly, "Sakura-chan! Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, and instead stared straight into Sasuke's red eyes. "Sasuke…I'm sorry. I kept it a secret because Hinata wanted me to. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry I lied!" Her voice was hoarse and scarred by her sobs, but Sasuke didn't understand what she was talking about.

"What do you mean, Sakura?" Sasuke said slowly.

More tears came as she said, "Hinata…didn't go on a mission…she's really sick…"

Oddly, he still didn't understand. "I don't get it…why would she be sick?"

With a swipe of her hand, she wiped the tears from her eyes, so she could see clearly. "Hinata just collapsed…she was dying….I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry."

_Dying_. It hit him hard, and it really hurt. His feet immediately ran with incredible speed to the hospital. No thoughts entered his mind, except for that he needed to get to the hospital fast. His ears blocked out the sound of Naruto and Sakura rushing after him, trying to catch up to him.

Sasuke burst through the doors, and demanded where Hinata was. The nurse at the counter shakily gave him the directions, and again, his feet seemed to fly. _Hinata….hang in there….wait for me!_

Then he was there. Sai sat outside of the room, and Sakura and Naruto appeared beside the pale boy. But his eyes fell on the closed door. Immediately, he tried to run at the door, but Sai, Naruto, and Sakura pulled him back. Still he tried to push his way past them.

"Calm down Sasuke! You have to calm down before you can go in!" Sakura cried out. But still he didn't care. Without realizing it, his face was wet with tears, and he kept trying to fight past them. His strength started fading, and it was like he could feel Hinata fading too.

He yelled, "Let me go! I have to see her! Let go!!" His arms stopped flying to push them away. He just stood there trying to move past them with his shoulders. With his whole heart, he yelled,

"Hinata!! Can you hear me? Hinata!! Please listen, Hinata! Don't leave! Why didn't you say anything before?" His eyes were blurred by the tears. "Did you not trust me? Hinata…You told me to tell this to you when I see you again!! Hinata…hear me…Hinata…" He took a deep breath. "I LOVE YOU!!"

A/N: Did I scare everyone? Were you guys shocked at the end? I'm uploading the next chapter immediately so please read it to find out if Hinata lives.


	14. The Last Thing

Part 14- The last thing

Part 14- The last thing

That day I supposedly died…I saw her. I saw my mother. She still looked the same. Long midnight hair, white pure eyes, and snowy skin. She was still young and beautiful. Her smile was bright and lovely, and her voice was the same.

"Hinata."

I found my voice. "Mother."

Her hand brushed the side of my face in a gentle motion.

"Hinata. You must live. It's too early for you to die. You can't die this way. Not when so many await you. Especially Sasuke."

She kissed my forehead, and everything turned white. That was when I woke up.

My mother pushed me back. But Sasuke pulled me back. He healed me with those 3 words.

-3 years later-

Hinata jumped when she felt Sasuke's arms slide around her. His lips brushed her ear, and she smiled. "Is she asleep?" Sasuke nodded.

"It took a while though. She kept crying for you." Hinata turned around in his arms, and their lips met. Again, there was no passion, just simplicity. They didn't notice Isao standing there making a face.

"Eww…Otou-san and Kaa-san! Not in front of me! When Emiko grows up, don't do it in front of her."

The couple smiled and said, "We didn't see you there. Someday you will be doing the same with that girl you like in your class, Asami." Isao's face reddened and he screamed, "No I won't!"

When he ran off, Sasuke laughed, and Hinata giggled. Suddenly, a baby's cries were heard, and Hinata immediately ran in. She came out quickly holding a round-faced baby with dark black hair, and white eyes. Their child, Emiko.

"Sasuke! She wasn't tired! She was hungry!" Hinata scolded him.

His hand ruffled through his hair in embarrassment, and Hinata laughed. "You'll get used to being a father, won't you? You're already so good to Isao. I'm glad that he's our son now."

Sasuke stopped looking embarrassed, and kissed her briefly on the cheek. "I promise I will be a good father. Look at Isao. He's the top in his class, and will graduate next year! He's mastered so many jutsus that are before his level. But what worries me…I just hope he will not turn out as Itachi."

Hinata rested a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about that. He has what he wants now. He cares about loyalty to his village, but he is even more loyal to his family. Sasuke, he's happy that he has us, and we're happy to have him. We love him more than as a son, and he knows that."

Her husband nodded, all tension and worries gone.

-Going back 2 years-

Isao was hanging out with his friends from the Academy. Meanwhile, Hinata and Sasuke were walking through a park filled with cherry blossom trees. The wind would gently blow past them, and spring leaves would dance. Sasuke pulled her over to a bench beneath a full-grown cherry blossom tree. But he didn't sit down beside her.

"Sasuke?" She was puzzled, which made him smile as he stood before her.

"Hinata, I want to give Isao a real family. One with a father and mother. He deserves one after all those lonely years on his own. But that's not the main point."

His eyes met her tenderly, and a smile touched his lips with handsome grace. Her heart raced, as he took her hand with one of his own, and knelt before her. With other hand, he took out a beautiful diamond ring with a silver band. "Hinata, are you willing to spend the rest of you life with me?"

For a dreadful moment, Hinata didn't say anything. Sasuke was afraid that she would reject. But then she began to laugh lightly. It was a sound of little bells and flutes. "Sasuke…I've been living with you for a while. Almost 2 years. I'd marry you without having you do all…this. Sasuke-"

"But I wanted to do it this way. Not just for you, but for me too. I want to look back in 50 years and know that I could do this, even if it's not the way I would have done it. So…will you marry me?"

Without a word, she leaned over to him and pressed her lips to his. "Yes, I will." Joy filled every vein in his body and he jumped to his feet. He swept her into a tight embrace, and spun her around.

"Hinata, thank you."

xxOOxx

Their wedding wasn't fancy. But it was still memorable. Everyone was there. All of their friends, sensei, and even Hinata's family, excluding Hikaru. He had been sentenced to prison for the rest of his life for the murder of the head's wife. Hiashi asked Hinata to come back to the family, but surprisingly, she had declined. "That is a decision we cannot go back on now."

Naruto, Sai, and all of the other guys helped Sasuke choose a suit, while all the kunoichi (Sakura, Tenten, Temari, etc) helped design Hinata's dress. In the end, Sasuke had an elegant black suit and Hinata wore a long beautiful dress that was whiter than her skin. When Sasuke saw her walk in the aisle, his jaw almost dropped.

When she reached where he was standing, he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful." She blushed, just like in the old days, and whispered back, "You look handsome." Sasuke smiled, and they turned to face the priest.

After the blessings and kiss, it was like a real party. There was a feast with sake and everything. Sai gave Sasuke and Hinata a congratulations gift. He couldn't give it to them before because he had to draw it.

The married couple was shocked at the gift. It was an art book of their wedding. He had drawn every image he saw with accuracy and beauty. They thanked him graciously, and Hinata hugged her dear friend tightly.

Someone suddenly put on a slow dancing kind of music, and Sasuke and Hinata were pushed forward to dance. Sasuke placed a hand at her back, and with his other took her hand. Their feet moved with the music, as if they were being carried by the waves of the ocean. Everyone was surprised at the way the two moved. Such ease and grace, almost as if they were more than dancing.

When everyone was drunk and full, Sasuke and Hinata, who hardly drank, went outside where the night air breathed on them. Hinata rested her head on Sasuke shoulder and he kept an arm around her to keep her warm against the cold night. They stayed like that for quite a while, holding each other…leaning on each other. Sasuke finally decided to speak.

"Hinata…you said…that those words healed you that day." She silently waited for him to continue.

"Right now…I want to say those words to you."

Hinata closed her eyes to embrace the peacefulness around her, and to feel her closest to Sasuke.

"The last thing I want to say to you on this night…"

Their lips moved at the same time, and their voice sounded together.

"I love you, my precious."

A/N: Well, that's the last chapter. To be frank, I never intended on killing Hinata. It was just for some drama. But this last chapter is just mainly fluff, so I don't really like it as much. Just to show that Hinata lived in the end, and because of Sasuke. They've found their precious person, and love. And they've begun a family.


End file.
